The Guardian and Maiden of the Sea
by RSBCS
Summary: A young guardian ventures out of his kingdom to tackle the challenge of eight strong Trainers. But along the way, he encounters a mystical sight. He must rise to the challenge not only to become the greatest guardian, but also to change the ways of humans for the friend he makes in the sea. Will he succeed, along with his Pokemon team, in achieving both goals? Or will he fail them?
1. Cast List

**Cast list of characters:**

 **Ash as Guardian Sora**  
 **Misty as Mermaid Rina**  
 **Brock as Prince Pewter**  
 **Paul as Ragnar**  
 **Tripp as Teller**  
 **Max as Apprentice Tidus**  
 **May as Mermaid Kari**  
 **Dawn as Mermaid Sarah**  
 **Drew as Drake**  
 **Kenny as Kenneth**  
 **Cilan as Chef Opal**  
 **Iris as Violet**  
 **Serena as Princess Yolanda**  
 **Clemont as Cancer**  
 **Bonnie as Sparky**  
 **Jessie as Jessica**  
 **James as Jameson**  
 **All Pokémon as themselves**

 **Welcome. Here's a new adventure for Pokemon. If you're wondering about the cast list, well, I'm using the characters in different roles. Sort of like a play, I guess.**

 **Characters might not 100% accurate. But I will do my very darnest to keep them close to their anime counterparts. Here we go!**


	2. Prologue 1: A Mystical Encounter

**Here we begin with the prologue of The Guardian and Maiden of the Sea. This is the first of two prologues that will set up where the story will go. Hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its characters. Those belong to Game Freak, Nintendo, and related companies.**

In the faraway kingdom of Aurora, there lived a great warrior. A guardian of his homeland, who fought off all threats and aided those in need. He was well-loved by his countrymen and the ruling prince. In fact, after saving the prince's life, the guardian was given the princess as a reward for his valor. Though they were betrothed, the Guardian continued to serve his duty along with his partner Pokémon. So our story begins when one accident began to change everything for the guardian. A change that would test him and his followers.

Sora meditated on the beach, his staff lying across his lap. He was a young trainer, no older than twelve, with scruffy black hair and a fierceness that could not be tamed. His dark-blue cape flapped in the sea breeze, his hands in their dark-green gloves rested in front of him, his wide-brimmed hat pulled low over his face (Author's note: think of Ash in his Aura Guardian costume). Not a muscle stirred as he took long, deep breaths.  
Then, a bush on the coastline rustled, but Sora remained undisturbed. Then, a young boy with green hair and a squires tunic charged at the guardian, wooden sword held high to strike, yelling at the top of his lungs. Fast as lightning, Sora grabbed his staff and deflected his apprentice's attempt, then he swung at the boy's feet, tripping him up, and pressed the end of his staff on his chest.  
"Aw man!" Tidus complained, "How did you know?"  
With a chuckle, Sora replied, "To yell out your surprise attack defeats its purpose. You must learn that silence is stronger than intimidation, little one."  
"Yes master." Tidus bowed.  
"Although," Sora resumed, "You are getting better. Your stance made it slightly more difficult this time to unarm you. I'm proud." Just then, his partner Pikachu came up to the guardian, holding a piece of scroll in his mouth.  
"What's this Pikachu?"  
"Pika Pi, Pikachu." the little electric mouse Pokémon replied.  
After reading over the message, Sora's face turned grim. "I must accept Ragnar's challenge again." He told his pupil.  
"I'll come watch." Tidus said eagerly. And the three made their way back to the kingdom.

In Aurora port, a black ship sat docked. Its leader, Ragnar the Relentless, stood glaring at the people who came to see him. His purple har lay around his scowling face, a black cape resting behind him. His black garb was only decorated by two spikes on his shoulders. And he held a staff in his right hand.  
"Prince Pewter!" Ragnar called out, "Where is your guardian? Send him out to battle me!"  
Prince Pewter, a young man with dark-skin and brown hair, wearing a royal tunic that was white with a red sash, replied, "Our guardian shall arrive soon. Have patience."  
Just then, a boy with blond hair and a scribes robe ran up to the prince and informed, "My prince, Guardian Sora has arrived."  
"Thank you Teller." The prince graciously replied, then he cried out, "Guardian Sora has arrived!" At this, the villagers parted like the Red Sea, making way as Sora walked towards Ragnar's ship with Pikachu on his shoulder and Tidus by his side.  
Ragnar glared at his long-time rival. He had tried to best Sora for a long time, and claim this land for himself. But Sora bested him every time. But this time, he thought, things would be different. This time, he had a secret weapon at his disposal.  
"Ragnar of Tyrannia, I have come to accept your challenge!" Sora called out.  
"Very well. But lest you forget, in accordance with the ancient laws, if the guardian is defeated, he surrenders his kingdom to the victor." Ragnar reminded, "And today, that prize shall be claimed by me."  
"I won't allow it!" Sora growled.  
"Pikachu!" Sora's partner cried out.  
"We'll see. Go, Rhyperior!" Holding out his staff, a beam of light escaped from the jewel on top, and became a huge, brown creature with a drill for a horn and drills on its arms.  
Sora knew how to take on this foe, and called out, "I choose you! Bulbasaur!" From his staff came a small, blue-dinosaur looking creature, appearing ready to battle.

Scoffing, Ragnar retorted, "This is what you are sending to face me? Pathetic!"  
"We'll see." Sora replied.  
Standing to the side, Teller announced, "In accordance with the ancient customs, only one Pokémon may battle. The match is over when either side is unable to continue. Is this understood?" Both sides agreed to the terms. "Then, BATTLE!"  
"Rhyperior, Hammer Arm!" Ragnar called out. Rhyperior swung one of its massive arms towards Bulbasaur.  
"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip and dodge it!" Sora told his partner. Bulbasaur swung out vines from its back, and latched onto Rhyperior's other arm. Then, it pulled itself up, knocking its opponent off-balance. "Great! Now use Razor Leaf!" And Bulbasaur launched leaves from its bulb, hitting Rhyperior dead on.  
"Get up! What is the matter with you?!" Ragnar growled at his Pokémon. With difficulty, Rhyperior got up and tried to block most of the Razor Leaf. "Now, use Bulldoze!" With a heavy stomp, Rhyperior created shock waves that caused Bulbasaur to flip over. "Got you now. Horn Drill!"  
"Bulbasaur, roll out of the way!" Before Rhyperior got too close, Bulbasaur managed to roll out of its path. Rhyperior pulled its horn out of the ground where it hit, and faced the tiny dinosaur. "Bulbasaur, ready your Solarbeam!" Sora ordered.  
"We can't let him win." Ragnar growled, then he barked, "Rhyperior, Hyper Beam!" And Rhyperior let loose a powerful orange beam of energy, and nailed Bulbasaur. But as Bulbasaur flew up from the resulting explosion, he let loose a beam of light on Rhyperior. Unable to bear the attack, Rhyperior fell back and fainted.  
"Rhyperior is defeated. Bulbasaur wins!" Teller refereed.  
"Alright! Way to go Bulbasaur!" Sora cheered.  
"You did it!" Tidus cheered alongside his master.  
"Pika!" Pikachu joined. Even Bulbasaur cheered at his victory. Ragnar, on the other hand, returned Rhyperior to his staff, very angrily.  
"I'll deal with you back home." He seethed, and then he called out, "Enjoy your victory for now guardian. Because someday, I will claim Aurora as my own. Weigh anchor!" And with that, Ragnar's ship left port for the open sea.

Later at the castle, Prince Pewter threw a feast in celebration of Guardian Sora's rousing victory, prepared for by the kingdom's top chef, Opal. The chef, a tall figure with light-green hair and eyes, stood by his prince as his brothers and he set out the magnificent food before his guests.  
"A wonderful assortment for a wonderful victory, dear Opal." Prince Pewter graciously complemented.  
"Many thanks, my prince." Opal replied, "It is a privilege and an honor to serve you." Immediately, Tidus and Pikachu dug into the food with gusto. Sora had even let out his other Pokémon to join in the celebration too, a wide array from his travels before settling in Aurora. Everyone piled up the food into their platters, and the prince called for all his servants to join too.  
The only one not partaking was Guardian Sora himself. Sure, he would eat until his belly bulged, and he was well-known for it. But today, there was too much on his mind to consider eating. This was the fourteenth time Ragnar challenged him for Aurora in the past three years. And no matter what, he continued to fail in recognizing his Pokémon's efforts. It saddened him to no end.  
Pikachu was the quickest to pick up on this, and clambered onto his shoulder to join him on the balcony looking out to the kingdom and the sea beyond.  
"Pika Pi? Chu Pi?" Pikachu chirped in his ear.  
With a sigh, Sora replied, "I don't know Pikachu. I'm beginning to wonder if Ragnar will ever learn. It isn't fair, what he does to his friends like that."  
"You're really worried about Ragnar?" came Yolanda, the princess. A young girl about Sora's age, her blond hair flowing gracefully behind her, a silver tiara resting in the midst of it. Her brown eyes were filled with concern. She wore a wide-brimmed, blue dress and had amber gloves reaching just past her elbows.  
In reply, Sora told her, "I am. When will he learn?"  
"If you ask me, I don't think he will." Yolanda responded, linking her arm with his, "But as long as you keep defeating him, our kingdom will be safe."  
"I can't keep defending my home forever." Sora frowned, "Someday, he may best me. And I will be cast out, or worse. My strength is limited when I stay here." Yolanda looked at the guardian worriedly. For a long time, Sora had once traveled the world to seek out new Pokémon and discover hidden lands. He only settled in Aurora after he saved her brother's life.  
Finally, she told him, "Don't worry. Once we are wed, you'll be free to travel as far as you wish. And when you do, I want to come with you." Sora's expression remained unchanged. In a last ditch effort, Yolanda offered, "Let us enjoy the feast before your Snorlax scarfs it all."  
As soon as his stomach rumbled, Sora replied, "I guess you're right. I can't train on an empty stomach." So the two plus Pikachu made their way back to the feast.

Late that night, While Sora and Tidus were training in the courtyard, an Absol leapt into their presence, startling them both. In equal response, Prince Pewter came out with his partner Swampert.  
"Absol? What awaits us?" he asked. Everyone knew that when Absol appeared, something was coming that spelt disaster. After a quick couple of grunts, The three noticed Swampert's fins on its head begin to twitch. Prince Pewter understood the situation all too well.  
"How strong?" he requested of his friend. Swampert walked over to a soft patch of sand, and slammed its two arms to use Magnitude. As shockwaves appeared in the sand, the prince grew worried.  
"A 6 Magnitude." He evaluated, then he ordered his friends, "Let everyone in the village know that a level 6 tempest is approaching! Tell them to stay inside, and stay as far inland as they can!"  
"Yes your Highness!" both boys replied. And they took off. Then the Prince offered, "Absol, stay here until it passes. Judging by how quickly you came, it must be approaching fast." Absol nodded, and walked alongside the prince into the castle.

The tempest came so suddenly. Rain and wind whipped through Aurora worse than a Razor Wind. Waves pounded onto the stone pathways of the port town. But for Prince Pewter's own court, everyone was safe and away from the worst of it. Guardian Sora returned moments after the storm hit.  
"My prince," he informed, dismounting his Ponyta, "All the villagers have taken shelter and have made preparations for the worst of this tempest."  
"Good work Sora." Prince Pewter commended, "Now we shall wait out this storm." But that became a worry when Tidus came back from his run.  
"Master, your Squirtle is still out in the storm." He told him, "It though this storm was a part of its training. I tried calling to it, but the wind drowned me out." Sora became worried. His Squirtle was usually headstrong, and it often got itself into a lot of trouble. This time was no different.  
"Stay here. I will be back soon." He told his pupil, then he urged, "Come Pikachu." Pikachu happily obliged, and the two took off into the storm.  
"No, Sora, come back!" Yolanda called to him.  
She was about to go after him when Prince Pewter called out, "Sister stop!" So she did, looking at her brother strangely. "If you go out there, then Sora will have someone else to rescue." He explained to his younger sibling, "We must remain here, and hope he can return safely." That was what worried her.

Out on the coast, Sora struggled to move through the wind and rain. Pikachu had taken shelter in his coat, nearly drenched from the downpour. Sora searched hard for his stubborn Pokémon, hoping to spot the turtle Pokémon before things got worse.  
It wasn't long until he spotted Squirtle, lying on his shell and unable to right itself.  
"Hang on Squirtle!" Sora called out. He rushed to the bluff Squirtle rested on, and worked his way over. But then, the wind picked up, and Squirtle began spinning towards the water. With very few options, Sora thrusted his staff at it, and managed to block its path from behind. In addition, the jewel at the top turned Squirtle into a beam of light as it returned the turtle Pokémon. Relieved that his friend was okay, Sora began making his way to retrieve the staff.  
Just then, a huge wave spilled over and knocked him and Pikachu into the stormy seas. Sora tried to right himself underwater, but the currents tossed him and Pikachu like ragdolls. Without his staff to call upon his Pokémon, Sora was in real trouble. Eventually, he and his partner couldn't hold their breath any longer, and they passed out.  
Sora's final thoughts before he did were, _My prince, Tidus, Yolanda, I'm sorry. I failed._

The next thing Sora knew, he was waking up to hear someone singing.

 _A twinkle in the night sky, far far away  
A golden star I gaze upon in my dreams  
On a sleepless evening, I sing along.  
Tomorrow I'll sing with you. On the Wings of a dream  
On a sleepless evening, I sing along  
Tomorrow I'll sing with you. On the wings of a dream_

Squinting with difficulty, Sora began opening his eyes. At first, the glare from the sunlight blinded him. But as his eyes began to adjust, he saw that someone was resting over him. It was a girl. She couldn't have been any older than him, from first appearances. She was quite pretty, her red hair lying flat behind her, a string of pearls tied in it. She had deep blue eyes, and ruby-colored earrings. She also wore a shell necklace and a pink, clam shell bikini top. But as more of the girl came into focus, Sora noticed that from the waist down was a teal blue tail with a starfish imprint on her hip.  
"A… mermaid?" Sora muttered.  
The girl nodded, then said, "My name is Rina. I saved you."  
"Saved me?" Sora replied groggily. But then his eyelids began to feel heavy, which caused his rescuer to worry.  
"Are you alright? Please, stay with me!" Rina begged, her voice sounding somewhat distant. And then Sora fell unconscious again.

 **Bit of a rocky start, eh? Well, you'll find out about Sora's mysterious savior in the next prologue, which will introduce the other half of the traveling company.**

 **To note one point, the song used is from** ** _Cardcaptors._** **It's the song Madison(Tomoya) sang in the series.**

 **Well, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and look forward to more coming soon.**


	3. Prologue 2: The Rescuer

**Well, now that you know about Sora(Ash), you might be wondering about how that mermaid Rina(Misty) fits into this picture. Well, here's a small little insight into how Rina came into the mix with Sora. And some stuff here will come full circle later in the story.**

 **Again, I do not own Pokemon or its characters. They all are the property of Game Freak, Nintendo, and related companies.**

"Hurry up, Rina! We're going to be late!" Rina's sister, Sarah, complained.  
"I'm swimming as fast as I can." Rina retorted. She always hated how pushy her younger sister got. Sarah was a pretty strong-willed mermaid, when she needed to be. She had dark blue hair that went just past her shoulders. She wore a pair of clam-shaped earrings and a sky blue bikini top. Her tail was a bright pink color with a red clam-shaped imprint on her hip.  
Before long, Rina caught up to her eager and impatient sister. Floating beside her was her other sister, Kari. She had brown hair that wasn't as long as the others, and a bright orange tail with an aquamarine spiral-shaped shell imprint. She had a pair of starfish earrings, an armlet made out of various shells, and wore a green bikini top.  
Immediately upon Rina's arrival, Kari spotted what they were waiting for. In the distance came a huge pod of Wailord and Lapras. The massive, blue bodies of the Wailord glided so gracefully under the Lapras. The two groups of Pokémon were migrating to another region of the sea, and they only passed by where the three mermaids lived once every couple years or so. But when they came by, they would share tales of the many wonderful places they had seen.  
Overly excited, Sarah cried out, "Come on. I'll bet they all a Wailord of a tale to tell us this time."  
As she took off, Kari sighed and told her sister, "She just never seems to stop, does she?"  
"What's there to stop?" Rina replied, "We had been looking forward to hearing about their journeys. So, we'd better catch up." And they swam up to the pod to hear what they had to share.

Kari and Sarah hung out below with the Wailord, hearing stories about seeing many strange places that had sunk to the bottom of the sea and about great treasures the mermaids could look for someday. While that was going on, Rina rested on one of the Lapras' back to hear tales of humans. Unlike her sisters, Rina became interested in humans when she overheard one of the Lapras talk about a human that had saved him and reunited him with his family.  
For a long time, it was believed by the three that humans were cruel and heartless creatures who thought only of themselves. This had partly been because of some human encounters the mermaids had when they were younger. But when Rina heard about the human who saved Lapras, something inside her changed. She felt curious about this human. And she had been eager to know more about him.  
"So, have you seen this human since we last talked about him?" Rina inquired. Unlike humans, mermaids could understand Pokémon via telepathy. However, this was limited primarily to Water-types.  
In response, Lapras answered, _'Only once. But I have met him once more very recently.'_  
"What's he like?  
 _'He is very pure-hearted. He cares greatly for those around him. And he can understand Pokémon on a deeper level than most other humans.'_  
"Really?" Rina beamed.  
 _'Indeed. He has a Pikachu that he has been friends with for the longest time. And he has many more Pokémon that live with him that all love and respect him.'_  
Rina could not help the feeling of elation that grew in her heart. There was a human who loved Pokémon just as much as she did. She imagined him being very handsome, with a smile that would melt her heart. She wished she could meet him.  
 _'I heard he settled in a village to the east of here after saving another human's life.'_ Lapras continued.  
"What do you mean?" Rina asked.  
 _'I don't know what happened, but I do know he lives near here. You might get to see him for yourself.'_  
"I think I will. Thank you Lapras."  
 _'Think nothing of it child.'_  
Deciding she should follow what she was told, Rina hopped back into the water and waved good-bye as the pod continued its migration. Down below, story time was also over. And Sarah and Kari were saying good-bye to the Wailord.  
Swimming up to them, Rina suggested, "Sisters, let's go visit the island to the east."  
"But, that's a human island!" Sarah gasped.  
"Why do you want to go there?" Kari questioned, "Humans are dangerous."  
"Just one quick peek, then we can go home." Rina reasoned. Not having much of a choice, the two followed her as they ventured towards the island, home of the town Aurora.

Upon arrival, the three mermaids spotted a crowd of humans gathering near a black ship. The sight of the vessel intimidated all three.  
"I don't like this." Sarah muttered.  
"Me neither." Kari agreed, "It's probably just a show or some kind of torture their doing."  
Looking to the eldest, Sarah griped, "We had a peek. Can we go now?"  
"Not yet." Rina spoke fiercely, "I want to see this." So she swam closer to the port, followed by her unwilling followers.  
With much difficulty, the three sisters managed to at least lift their heads onto the side of the port. Various humans were crowding the dock, but it seemed that their focus was on the ship.  
Then, from out of nowhere, someone proclaimed, "Guardian Sora has arrived!" At this, the crowd parted, and the three mermaids could spot someone coming down. A boy, no older than twelve, wielding a staff and having a Pikachu ride on his shoulder. Rina was star struck, yet she didn't know why.  
"Look," Kari said, breaking Rina out of her trance, "That boy is about to battle that human on the ship."  
"Ooh, a battle?" Sarah replied, getting all giddy, "This will be exciting!" Rina couldn't agree more. Mermaids rarely got to see too much battling. Even though they had their own Pokémon, They weren't as exciting as seeing humans battle.  
As soon as the Guardian Sora and the other human sent out a Rhyperior and Bulbasaur, the battle commenced. The other villagers cheered and oohed as the two battlers exchanged blows. Sarah and Kari even joined in when the crowd got loud enough so they wouldn't be heard. But Rina was fixated on Sora. There was something about him that made her heart go haywire. She thought it was the way he commanded his Bulbasaur, or how he anticipated his opponent's attacks, or even how he judged what to do and how. There was so much that captivated her that she found it hard to really describe.  
When the Guardian Sora had ended victorious with Bulbasaur's Solarbeam attack, Rina cheered, "Yay! He did it!" But, in doing so, she let go of the edge and fell back into the water. Her sisters soon followed, and it was a good thing too. Rina's outburst attracted the attention of a couple of villagers standing near where they were hiding.  
"What was that about Rina?" Kari interrogated, safely hidden with her sisters below the waves.  
"That was kinda weird." Sarah inputted, "I don't think you ever cheered for a human to win."  
Blushing from embarrassment, Rina replied, "Sorry. Guess I just got a little carried away."  
"I think that was more than just 'a little.'" Sarah eyed suspiciously. The two were about to ask further until Rina took off along the coastline. This new behavior in their sister both puzzled them. Kari was quick to dismiss it, but Sarah was a little more persistent on the issue.

At a nearby beach, the three sisters rested on the wet sand as they each thought about the humans' Pokémon battle. Sarah was busying herself by brushing her hair. Kari scavenged the sand for pretty shells she could use to make new jewelry with. Rina, however, lay in the sand and was humming a song to herself (Author's Note: Original Pokémon theme song).  
As Sarah was listening to her elder sister, she stopped mid-stroke and inquired, "What's gotten you in such a happy mood?"  
Rina didn't understand what her sister meant, until Kari added, "You don't usually hum that cheerfully unless something really good happened. The last time you were this happy was when we sunk that human ship with your Gyarados's help."  
With a small chuckle, Rina answered, "I was just thinking about that human boy. The one they called Guardian Sora."  
"What about him?" Sarah asked.  
Considering carefully, Rina replied, "I was thinking about how great of a battle it would be, if I went against him."  
"You really want to battle him?" Kari questioned. Rina knew that wasn't the entire truth, but she didn't want her listeners to know the real reason she thought about that boy.  
Before she could compose another answer, the three were startled when an Absol darted by them.  
"What was that?" both Rina and Sarah wondered aloud.  
"Trouble." Kari told them, and she pointed to the horizon. Soon all three saw dark clouds begin to block out the last rays of sunlight. A tempest was approaching, and fast by the looks of it. Understanding that it was not safe to remain, the mermaids dove back into the water, and went deeper towards the bottom.

Reaching a nearby reef, the mermaids stopped to open three oysters. Inside were rather large pearls, each the same color as the tail of the mermaid it belonged to. Inside these pearls, like with the gems the humans had, housed their Pokémon that they could call upon to aid them. Each of them retrieved their pearl and tied the string attached to them around their necks.  
Hastily swimming up to their sea cave, Sarah urged, "Hurry! That tempest will be here any minute!" Not a second later did the currents grow stronger, threatening to throw them around. Kari quickly followed Sarah inside their shelter.  
Rina was about to follow, when she suddenly heard, _'Somebody! Help!'_ It was a Pokémon, and a Water-type to boot. Rina didn't know where the call was coming from, but she knew she had to help.  
"Rina! Get inside!" Sarah called.  
But Rina responded, "There's a Pokémon in distress in this storm. I need to go help it. Stay here, and stay safe. I'll be back." And she took off.  
"Rina!" Sarah started to call. But Kari held her back from following.  
"You know how she gets." Kari explained, "Whenever a Water Pokémon is in trouble, she always feels that she has to help it. That's just who she is." Sarah understood that, but she didn't like that Rina would be simply reckless doing it.

Reaching the surface, Rina began looking around for the Pokémon that called out to her. But the waves were getting rougher, making it difficult to stay afloat. Lightning crashed from the clouds above, wind howled in her ears, sheets of rain pounded the surface of the water and the land nearby. She would be in great danger if she stayed up here too long.  
Then, through the rain, She spotted the Pokémon calling for help. It was a Squirtle! The turtle Pokémon was stuck on the back of its own shell, and was flailing in its effort to right itself.  
' _Sora, somebody, help!'_ Squirtle called out. Rina suddenly froze after hearing the first name he said. How did this Squirtle know this human she saw earlier today?  
As if to answer her question, Sora came up to the bluff's edge and yelled over the wind, "Hang on Squirtle!" Rina finally realized this Squirtle belonged to Sora, and he had come out to save it. She was even more impressed when Sora used his staff and returned Squirtle before it fell into the water even though he had to toss it to save it. But as he went to retrieve it, a massive wave spilled over the bluff, and swept him and Pikachu under.  
"Oh no!" Rina cried out, and she dove down to find him. She immediately spotted Sora, struggling against the currents to get to the surface. But eventually, he and his partner let out the air in their lungs as they passed out. Rina couldn't bear to watch this human drown. He had already shown a great love for his Pokémon, and realized that what Lapras said about him was true. That he was pure-hearted, and put his friends above all else.  
Convinced of what she needed to do, Rina swam up to Sora and managed to grab his wrist before he continued to sink. Hauling him up, she managed to get a hold of him around his waist. But it took a lot of her effort to swim against the stormy waters, and trying to lift Sora made it harder.  
Tapping her pearl, Rina whispered, "Gyarados, please, help me save him." A beam of teal-colored light escaped from the pearl, and a mammoth-sized sea snake Pokémon with a huge, gaping jaw appeared beside her. Gyarados swam under Rina and Sora, and picked them up. Then, it set them down on the beach and coiled itself around the two to protect them from the elements. Looking at Sora's unconscious face, Rina felt a gaping tug at her heart.  
So she prayed, "Please Sora, be alright."

The next morning found the duo asleep under a bright, sunny sky. Rina's Gyarados had returned itself to its mistress's pearl once the storm had broken over. Rina groggily began to wake up, when she realized she had been sleeping right next to Sora, her head on his chest just a hair from Pikachu's ear. Then she remembered: the storm, Squirtle, Sora falling into the sea. Carefully removing Pikachu from Sora's coat and setting him next to her, Rina put her ear to Sora's chest. His breathing was slow, as was his heartbeat, slower than normal. She also happened to hear water sloshing inside too. Rina instantly began to panic. Sora might suffocate if she didn't save him soon.  
But as she cleared her head, she rested her hand on Sora's and Pikachu's chests as she sung a song to save them.

 _A twinkle in the night sky, far far away  
A golden star I gaze upon in my dreams  
On a sleepless evening, I sing along  
Tomorrow, I'll sing with you. On the wings of a dream  
On a sleepless evening, I sing along  
Tomorrow, I'll sing with you. On the wings of a dream_

As she sung, Sora began to become conscious once more. Rina looked to him just in time to see his eyes squint slightly open.  
"A… mermaid?" he muttered, loud enough for her to hear.  
Rina nodded, and introduced herself, "My name is Rina. I saved you."  
"Saved me?" Sora struggled to reply. Then his eyes began to close.  
Worried, Rina pleaded, "Are you alright? Please stay with me."  
But as he conked out again, Rina worriedly thought, _'What do I do now?'_

 **Okay, so there you go. The stage has been set, so far. But now Rina faces the difficulty of reviving Sora after he nearly drowned. Not exactly an easy thing when you've never had to deal with this sort of thing before.**

 **Stay tuned for more chapters to come. Till then, please review and let me know what you think (politely and respectfully, please).**


	4. Chapter 1: Setting Off

**I haven't received a lot of opinions on my poll for this and Mermaid Melody (probably because I haven't braodcast it on my stories, so readers don't know it's up). So I'm still gonna post each story alternatively.**

 **But anyways, we're back, and beginning to get into the story for the Guardian and Maiden of the Sea. Hope you enjoy.**

As Rina continued to worry that Sora would not make it, she heard his Pikachu coughing out water as it began to wake up. When it noticed her, Pikachu's cheeks began to spark.  
"No, wait! I'm a friend." Rina tried to assure, "I helped save you both." Hearing truth in her words, Pikachu relaxed. When he saw his master, however, concern began to take over him too.  
"Pika? Chu! Chu!" Pikachu nudged Sora. But there was no response.  
Then, Rina came upon an idea.  
"Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt to shock him awake." She suggested. Pikachu happily complied, and prepared for its electric attack. "Wait, let me get out of the way." Rina advised.  
As soon as she scooted behind Pikachu, she instructed him to start. "PIKACHU!" Pikachu cried out, releasing arcs of electricity into Sora's body. Nothing happened. The second try was moot as well.  
So Pikachu tried one more time, putting more effort into its Thunderbolt. This time, Sora began coughing out water as he bolted upright.  
Gripping his chest, Sora spoke, "Take it easy Pikachu. You nearly gave me a headache."  
"I'm sorry. I asked it to shock you." Rina explained.  
As soon as Sora heard her, his eyes went wide with shock. "Whoa! Y-You're real!" he gasped. Rina looked away, slightly flustered. "So, you really did save me?" Sora asked.  
"Yes. You and your Pikachu." Rina replied, "I saw you save that Squirtle during the tempest. And I had heard much about your love for Pokémon. I felt like I had to save you."  
"You heard about me? From who?"  
"A Lapras that you had saved."  
"Hold on. I'm a little confused. Why don't we start with who you are."

After a few minutes, Rina had explained herself and told Sora about how she had come to know about him.  
"You have sisters? And you all have Pokémon of your own?" Sora inquired.  
"Yes, we do." Rina replied. Sora was blown away by all she had told him. To anyone else, all this would have been too unreal. But to him, it was simply amazing.  
"I understand if you don't believe me." Rina spoke, turning somewhat solemn, "You humans don't usually believe in mermaids."  
"That's okay." Sora assured, "But if it makes you feel any better, I believe you."  
"You do?"  
"Yeah, I had met many other legends when I traveled the world. Many people believed them to be myths, but my buddy and I proved them all wrong at every turn."  
"Pikachu." Pikachu spoke in agreement.  
As Sora stroked Pikachu, he continued, "I've learned through it all to believe in the unbelievable. And it has served me well in my journey so far." As he finished saying that, his hand stroked Pikachu's tail. When he did, Pikachu let out a squeal of delight at the gesture.  
"Your Pikachu likes having its tail petted?" Rina asked.  
"Of course." Sora told her, then he offered, "You can pet him. Pikachu only lets people it trusts pet it." Pikachu offered its tail for Rina to pet, which she did quite hesitantly. But once Pikachu let her know that he liked it, she became more confident.  
"You see, that's why I want to begin traveling again." Sora continued, "I believe there are even more unbelievable things out there to see. New Pokémon, great adventures, and amazing battles."  
"So why don't you go out and explore?" Rina questioned.  
With a sigh, Sora answered, "My duty to the prince. I saved his life, and he entrusts me with the princess. I can't just leave them now." Suddenly, Rina felt a huge pit in her stomach begin to open up.  
"You love her, don't you?" She assumed.  
"She's great… as a friend. But I'm just not sure. I don't think royalty is the life I would want. I'd rather be free to travel and see all there is to see."  
 _He sounds a lot like me._ Rina thought. This gave her a thought that she felt she should do.  
"Do you want to come with me?" She offered.  
Before Sora could give a response, Pikachu's ears went up, and someone called out, "Sora! Where are you?" It was Prince Pewter. They were searching for him. Rina made an attempt to get back to the water, but Sora grabbed her wrist to stop her.  
"Wait!" he pleaded, "Will I get to see you again?"  
Without facing him, Rina replied, "I will try."  
"Let's make a promise, that we'll see each other again." When Rina did look back, Sora had laced his pinky-finger with hers. "Promise?" he asked.  
Placing her other hand over her heart, Rina answered, "Promise." And she escaped back into the sea.

Not a moment later did Prince Pewter, Tidus, and Yolanda come rushing over to where Sora and Pikachu were. Yolanda's eyes looked red, like she had been crying quite a bit. As soon as the group neared him, she flung herself onto Sora.  
"You're alright! Oh, thank heavens you're alright!" She cried.  
"My apologies, princess." Was all Sora could say in reply.  
"We were so worried." Tidus explained, "When you didn't come back last night, many of us wondered what had happened to you. Teller presumed you had fallen into the sea, but the princess wouldn't hear it."  
 _Well, he wasn't too far off._ Sora chuckled in his mind.  
"We came out to search for you. But we only found this." Prince Pewter picked up, holding out Sora's staff, "Yolanda almost made herself pass out from crying. She thought you were truly gone from this world. But Tidus finally spotted a Thunderbolt coming from over here."  
"And that's when you found me." Sora finished, taking his staff back.  
"Please, don't you ever do that to us again!" Yolanda scolded. All Sora could do was chuckle while scratching the back of his head. With everything settled, the group made their way back to the castle.  
While out at sea, Rina held her hands in front of her chest, whispering, "I promise." Then she went back to find her sisters.

A couple days later found Sora staring out from the balcony with Pikachu. He had been too distracted to train Tidus, and none of his other Pokémon seemed to understand what was going on either. Even when Prince Pewter offered to battle him, Sora turned it down. And that was definitely not like him to refuse a challenge.  
Truth be told, Sora was thinking about Rina. He had told her that he had met many legends during his travels, and proved they were more than myth. What he didn't tell her was that it was never any easier to wrap his mind around each encounter. And meeting a mermaid was no different.  
He looked to his hand, and whispered to his buddy, "Promise. We'll see her again, right Pikachu?"  
"Pika." Pikachu shrugged.  
Watching from behind them, unnoticed, Prince Pewter wondered why Sora was so distracted. But then, he thought back to the day Sora had come to Aurora.

 _It was some time ago that it all started. Prince Pewter was out foraging for ingredients with Opal and Teller. They were near a cliffside along the coast, with waves that pounded up the rocky face. They were hiking along when Opal spotted some herbs they had been hoping to find.  
"My prince, we've found it!" Opal cheered, "The much sought after ingredient for my latest masterpiece." After evaluating the plant, Prince Pewter concurred it was what they needed. He requested Opal to start on the meal right away.  
"But what about you?" he asked, "Surely this delectable dish would serve better from two expert cooks." Prince Pewter chuckled, being reminded of a skill he picked up from hanging around with the chef.  
Then he replied, "I just need some sea air to think things over. I'll be back soon." With a bow, Opal set off to start cooking.  
Teller was confused by the prince's decision.  
Curious, he inquired, "Something the matter, my prince?"  
"I's my sister." Prince pewter admitted, "She's refused to see a suitor for the fifth time this month. I wonder if she will ever find someone to be her husband when she is of marrying age."  
"If I may, sire, it would be premature to consider marriage right now." Teller suggested, "You are both still young. Worry about your kingdom before you worry about her."  
"I guess so." The prince chuckled.  
Just then, Prince Pewter spotted someone a bit away from them. A maiden with flowing, dark-green hair wearing a white dress. Her back was turned to them, but Prince Pewter began seeing hearts.  
"It's finally happening!" he groaned, "I've found my true love!" Prince Pewter made a mad dash for the strange maiden, only to slip on a loose piece of the cliff and fall towards the sea. He managed to grab hold of a piece of a tree's root, and held on just down a ways from the edge, out of anyone's reach.  
"My prince!" Teller called out.  
"I'm okay." Prince Pewter replied, "Bring me my Pokéstone. My Onix ought to be able to help." Complying with some reluctance, Teller took off.  
When Prince Pewter looked back at the maiden, he saw her suddenly flip and transform into a small, black fox looking Pokémon with a bit of red in its fur.  
"A Zorua?" he grumbled. Zorua just chuckled maliciously as it darted into the woods. Prince Pewter couldn't believe he fell for one of Zorua's illusions so easily. And now he was hanging from a branch, ready to plummet to the sea below. Was this really going to be the end of him, he thought?  
Just then, he heard a boy cry out, "Hold on! I'll save you!" Prince Pewter looked to his right to find a boy in blue/green clothes with a Pikachu standing alongside him. The boy held out his staff and called out,  
"I choose you, Sceptile! Froakie!"  
Two lights escaped from the gem on the staff, one becoming a tall, gecko-looking Pokémon with twin leaves on its forearms and yellow seeds on its back, with a twig sticking out of its mouth, and the other became a small, blue frog with a weird substance around its neck.  
Once they materialized, the boy ordered, "Froakie, use your frubbles to keep him from slipping!" With a huge leap, Froakie took some of its frubbles and launched them towards the prince. The sticky substance latched on to his hand and the piece of root, and held him in place to prevent him from slipping.  
Climbing onto Sceptile's back, the boy told it, "Okay, let's go get him." Sceptile then began scaling down the cliff wall towards Prince Pewter. Several pieces of rock shifted as it proceeded, but it moved with precision and proper care as it climbed. The root Prince Pewter held onto began to slip, but Froakie used more of its frubbles to keep it from slipping out any more than it had.  
Once Sceptile was level with the prince, the boy reached out his hand and told him, "Give me your hand." Not wanting to 'hang around' any longer, Prince Pewter gratefully complied. With the prince rescued, Sceptile leapt up and landed back on solid ground.  
With relief, Prince Pewter inquired, "Thank you. Who are you? And how can I repay you for saving my life?"  
Returning his Pokémon, the boy replied, "My name's Sora. I'm a Pokémon Guardian. But, you don't have to reward me."  
"But I must. You saved me, the prince of Aurora. Ask, and it shall be yours." But Sora was already walking away, his Pikachu riding on his shoulder._

 _A week later, Prince Pewter was sitting on his throne, listening to Yolanda give another complaint about her suitors while Teller transcribed the whole scene.  
"I am not going to have you suggest another suitor for me! I've had enough!" she yelled.  
"Yolanda, you'll have to have someone to care for you someday." Prince Pewter tried to reason, "I won't be there for you all the time."  
"I can take care of myself, brother!" she argued. Prince Pewter just sighed, knowing how stubborn his sister could be with matters. Her Fennekin just sat dutifully at her feet, snacking on a twig it had picked up earlier. "If we're done, I'm going back to my room to groom Fennekin's fur."  
Just then, the doors to the throne room opened as a new guest came in. When everyone looked to see who it was, they saw that it was Guardian Sora and Pikachu. Upon seeing him, Yolanda's anger simply melted away into nothingness. Instead, her heart began to race, and her cheeks turned rose red. Prince Pewter noticed this change in his sister, and chuckled in his head.  
"You had summoned me, Prince Pewter?" Sora asked as he bowed to one knee. Pikachu respectfully followed his example.  
"Yes. I have come to a decision of how to reward you."  
"Sire, I have only done what was needed of me." Sora replied, "I have done nothing to merit a reward from you."  
"Ah, but this reward is not my choosing. Rather, it is my sister's." Both Sora and Yolanda were puzzled by what he meant, until the princess clued in what he was implying. He was letting her choose because he had seen her change of expression as Sora entered. Yolanda had heard someone had saved her brother, but she never figured it would be someone like Sora.  
Instantly, she begged, "Oh please brother. Might Sora be my betrothed? He has done Aurora a great service in saving you. It's the least we can do to repay him."  
Prince Pewter nodded, and spoke, "Well, Guardian Sora?" Sora wasn't sure what to think. But he knew it would be rude to refuse such a gesture from both the prince and princess.  
"Very well. As the prince commands it, I shall give my service to defend the princess and her kingdom."_

Coming back from his flashback, he realized how selfish it was for him to keep Sora here. There was no doubt in his mind that Sora wanted to get back to traveling again. Deciding on what to do, he went up to the guardian.  
"Guardian Sora." He regarded.  
"Prince Pewter?" Sora quizzed.  
Staring out towards the horizon, the prince spoke, "I have come to realize how hard it has been to adjust to living with us here. And I understand you seek to set out once more. So I've decided." He paused to let his words sink in, before continuing, "I want to travel with you, and see many other lands out in the world."  
"Uh, really?" Sora gasped.  
"Yes. As a reward for your continued services to my people." Immediately, Sora jumped up and cheered. He and Pikachu could set off once more.  
But then, regaining his composure, Sora replied, "Thank you, my prince. I shall make preparations right away." And he took off into the castle, Pikachu hot on his heels.  
Moments after they left, a young girl with large, purple hair and wearing a purple ninja suit and mask dropped onto the railing behind the prince.  
Without regarding her presence, Prince Pewter requested, "I want you to follow along. And keep an eye out for anyone wanting to harm Sora, Yolanda, or anyone of our crew members. Is this understood, Violet?"  
"As clear as crystal, your Highness." The ninja replied. Then she disappeared without a sound.

The day after that, Rina surfaced close to Aurora port. She wanted to keep her promise to the boy Sora. Problem was, her sisters had become very suspicious after the tempest incident. When she didn't come back after it was over, both Kari and Sarah felt inclined to know why. Rina managed to dodge their questioning, but she couldn't keep it up for long.  
As she neared port, she noticed a bit more activity than normal happening at one of the docks. A giant, wooden ship with a Gardevoir mast head was being prepped by Machoke and Conkeldurr.  
Rina was about to investigate when Sarah's voice rang out, "So this is where you disappeared to." Rina knew she had been caught, knowing both Kari and Sarah were behind her.  
"What is up with you?" Kari interrogated, "The last few days, you've been staring up towards this human place. And now you're coming back, why?"  
"I've… become interested in humans!" Rina admitted, "There, are you two happy?" On the contrary, both were quite puzzled.  
"But why? You hate humans." Sarah pointed out.  
With a heavy sigh, Rina confessed, "I did. But Lapras told me there had been a human that had saved it some time ago. When I heard that, I wondered why. And I've seen that humans aren't malefic."  
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, growing more suspicious by the minute. Rina quickly found herself in a major pickle. If she revealed that she had saved Sora, her sisters would hate her for betraying them.  
So, instead of answering, Rina suggested, "Let's sneak on over, and you'll see what I mean." She took off for the ship, while her sisters remained perplexed.  
"She's hiding something." Sarah theorized.  
"No doubt about it." Kari shrugged in agreement. Still, they opted to follow anyway. The only way to find out her secret was to follow her every move.

Sora stepped onboard the _HMS Aura_ along with prince Pewter, Teller, and Opal. The prince had abandoned his regal garb, and opted for a plainsman's apparel. He wore an orange shirt, brown-cotton pants and hiking boots to hide his nobility as prince.  
"Captain Drake, what's our status?" Sora inquired of the captain.  
A boy with bright-green hair and ivy-green eyes, wearing a purple scarf around his neck, a purple vest over a black undershirt, and green shorts that went just past his knees. "All's fair, Sora." Drake replied, "Fair wind for sailing once again."  
"Captain," came First-mate Kenneth, "ship's all ready to make way." Kenneth was a spry youth, with dark-red hair under his blue bandanna, a yellow-sleeveless shirt, and black sailor's shorts.  
"Good man. Let's prepare to make way." Drake announced.  
Suddenly, a puff of smoke from an explosion below deck escaped through the hatch. Coming out, coughing, were two more youths: A boy with blond hair, wearing a blacksmith's apron over blue garments and large spectacles, and a girl about Tidus's age wearing a brown dress covered in scorch marks.  
"Cancer! Are you and Sparky alright?" Sora expressed his concern to the boy.  
"We're fine." Cancer replied in-between coughs, "But my invention is all ruined."  
"I told you not to tamper with that last piece!" Sparky complained. Cancer just shrugged and chuckled sheepishly.  
Sora had met these two during his travels, and brought them along to help on the ship. But, as Cancer was an avid inventor, sometimes things went somewhat awry.  
Once it was established that no harm was done, Drake called out, "Weigh anchor!"  
But before they could, Yolanda cried out, "Wait! Wait for me!" she rushed aboard, followed shortly by Tidus.  
"Sorry." Tidus gasped, "I tried to stop her, but she was too high strung on coming to join."  
"You aren't leaving me behind." Yolanda panted, "I said I would come on your travels, and I mean it." She had also changed from her fancy attire to a commoner's red-colored dress.  
With a shrug, Pewter told everyone, "Well, we might as well let them come along. Right, Sora?"  
"Sure. The more, the merrier." Sora replied.  
"Pika Pika." Pikachu affirmed. With that settled, Captain Drake repeated his command.

Hearing the command to make way, Rina noticed the chain in front of the ship being raised.  
"Come on!" She urged her sisters. With much haste, all three managed to seat themselves on top of the anchor.  
"We're risking our necks, just so you can know more about humans?" Kari posed the question. Rina simply chuckled nervously in reply.  
"Well, it's too late to turn back now." Sarah pointed out. The three mermaids were so high up, that if they tried to leave now they would be spotted. Pretty soon though, the ship began turning out to sea. They were setting sail.

Sora slung his legs over the railing on the bow of the ship. Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, and the two stared out at the vast horizon.  
"We're finally back on our journey Pikachu." Sora said to his companion, "And maybe, we can see Rina again."  
Meanwhile, down on the anchor, Rina noticed Sora sitting just above her and her sister's heads. Even though she wasn't with him yet, being nearby still felt like a relief to her.  
Then, she silently prayed, "Please, let us meet again. Let us be together as we venture out into the world."

And so, everyone was setting sail for the world, with new adventures waiting right over the horizon.

 **Yay! Sora is journeying again! Oh, just to clarify, I wrote this during the first season of Pokemon XY (English broadcast, anyway). So if you're wondering why he still has a Froakie, don't worry. It's not because I'm not caught up.**

 **Don't forget to fave and review. See you next time.**


	5. The Trinity Legend

**Hey there! I'm back! And so is the crew! Here is where we get to meet some guest characters. Well, that's enough out of me.**

 **Fave, review, enjoy por favor.**

 **Also, I do not own Pokemon. That is the property of Game Freak and Nintendo.**

Guest Stars:  
Delia Ketchum as Mira  
Professor Oak as Elder Oak

Chapter 2:  
The Trinity Legend

It has been three days at sea already, and the Guardian Sora's crew were already growing anxious for the next day's destination. Captain Drake had informed everyone that they were going to Trinity Island, Sora's home, to supply the ship with what they needed for the voyage. It had been a long time since Sora saw his home. He wondered if everyone was alright and well. What tales would he begin to tell them about his adventure? The idea made Sora super restless. So much so that he was unable to sit still. He raced up and down the deck, climbed the rigging, and swung around like an Aipom.  
Prince Pewter, Tidus, Yolanda, Chef Opal, and Teller were puzzled by his behavior.  
"What's gotten into him?" Tidus pondered.  
"He does appear to be different than when we were in Aurora." Teller observed.  
"That's just how he gets when he's excited over something." Drake explained as he came up to them.  
"What do you mean?" Yolanda asked.  
"Sora hasn't been home to Trinity Island in a long time." Cancer elaborated, "Ever since he composed this crew, Sora's been all over the known world. He's traveled quite a ways from home, so it's no wonder he's so giddy and excited."  
Dropping down in front of the group, Sora told them, "And that's not even the half of it. The Elder who gave me my Pokéstone with Pikachu has big news when I arrive. And, I might be able to fulfill a legendary prophecy at the island ruins."  
"Well now that is something to be excited about." Prince Pewter realized.  
"But what's this legendary prophecy you hope to fulfill?" Opal asked. Sora went over to the prow, just overlooking where Rina and her sisters were hiding, and explained,  
"There's a legend that's been known since before I was born. That a great treasure awaits the one to present the Pokémon Trinity."  
"The Pokémon Trinity?" Tidus wondered aloud. Everyone, including the stowaways, leaned in to hear more.  
"They say that if you manage to befriend three Pokémon of the elements, the path to greatness will open." Sora continued, "'The stream of constant change, the meadow of noble duty, and the inferno of unbridled passion. Bring these three together, and the way will open.'" The crew suddenly became excited at this, as they all began to wonder what treasure the legend spoke of.  
The three mermaids below were also quite intrigued by this.  
"A legendary treasure of the Pokémon Trinity." Rina repeated.  
"From the sounds of it, one of those Pokémon must need to be a Water-type." Kari pointed out, "But which one?"  
"Aw, let the humans find their silly treasure." Sarah scoffed, "I heard of a more interesting thing about the island we're going to."  
"Oh yeah! Those undersea caves." Kari perked. Rina was confused by her sisters words, and she did not try to hide her confusion.  
"While you were listening to stories about humans, Rina, the Wailord told us about a series of caverns underneath Trinity Island. It's possible there could be a hidden treasure in those caves.  
"I…see." Was all Rina said in response.  
Sarah was about to ask what was up, when she heard a, "Piplup Pip!" Below the trio, swimming along with the ship, was a Piplup. The blue penguin Pokémon belonged to Sarah, and had been let out of her pearl the other day to explore. It had apparently found something of interest, because it was chirping like crazy.  
"Piplup!" Sarah exclaimed, "What did you find?"  
 _'There's an island not too far ahead mistress.'_ Piplup told her, _'And there was a cave deep underwater.'_  
Excited by the news, Sarah dove off the anchor and back into the water. "Well done, my friend." Sarah said in delight, "Lead the way." As she and Piplup dove under, Kari followed and dove back into the sea. Rina, on the other hand, was hesitant. She didn't want to go too far from Sora, in case she might get his attention. Then again, her sisters might run into trouble on their own, and they would need her to deal with it. With a heavy sigh, she followed after Kari and Sarah.

The next day, Sora and Pikachu awoke to Kenneth calling out, "Land ho!" Everyone rushed on deck to see Trinity Island coming into view. The land certainly lived up to its name. Different parts of the island were dominated by a different element. One area was dominated by a forest, another had various lakes and marshes dotting the landscape, and above it all was an ash-black mountain that Sora remembered was a dormant volcano. Breathing in the familiar air, Sora whispered, "We're home buddy."  
At the dock, a huge crowd had gathered to greet the _'Aura'_ and her crew. As Sora disembarked with Drake and Cancer, he announced, "Trinity island, I have returned!"  
"Pikachu!" Pikachu added. The crowd cheered at his arrival, which stunned Sora's companions.  
"Wow!" Yolanda gasped, "I knew Sora was really famous in Aurora, but I never figured he would be this famous here."  
"But with all the adventuring he has done, it would be no wonder that he would be well received here at home." Opal pointed out. And he was not wrong. A massive crowd gathered to receive their hometown hero. But there was one person who was looking forward to Sora's return the most.  
"Sora!" A woman called out from among the crowd. Sora looked to who shouted out to him, and spotted his mother, Mira, rushing towards him. Her crimson hair and crimson dress trailed behind her as she ran up to greet her returning son.  
"Mother!" he called back, "I have returned!" And he ran up to his mother. As they drew closer, both had their arms wide open to receive each other. And right at the moment when the two met up, Mira grasped Pikachu, leaving Sora to faceplant.  
"It's been too long Pikachu." She cuddled, "Have you been well?"  
"Pikachu Pi." Pikachu chirped.  
Getting up, Sora complained, "Hey! What about me?"  
"Welcome back dear." Mira greeted with a warm smile. Sora felt somewhat embarrassed by the lack of attention from his own mother, but he was used to it by now. He knew she still loved him, she just liked giving Sora's Pokémon a teensy bit more attention.  
"Ah, Sora, welcome back." Came the island elder, Oak. Sora turned to see the elder come up to him, with a Bayleef following close behind. The elder had on a white robe, and had short, graying hair.  
"Greetings elder." Sora returned. And he was then tackled by his Bayleef.  
"Bay! Bay!" it cried with joy.  
"Glad to see you too, Bayleef.' Sora chuckled, "But could you let me up? I can't breathe." As he got up, Yolanda, Tidus, and the others came up to them.  
"Wow Sora! I never knew you had a Bayleef." Tidus exclaimed in awe.  
"It definitely seems to like you. Quite a lot, actually." Yolanda observed as the Pokémon nuzzled its master.  
"It's always had a huge crush on Sora since it was a Chikorita." Drake explained, "But because of it always causing trouble, Sora had to send it back here under my orders."  
"Why couldn't you just put Bayleef in your Pokéstone?" Tidus asked.  
"I tried. But Bayleef just kept popping back out each time." Sora answered. As if on cue, a beam of light escaped from the staff, and a blue otter Pokémon with a scalchop on its belly appeared on Sora's other shoulder.  
"Wha?! Oshawott!" Sora gasped. But Oshawott just stood proudly on his shoulder, until a Vine Whip from Bayleef knocked it off. Enraged, Oshawott began shouting at Bayleef, but Bayleef just shrugged it off. Made even more angry by the action, Oshawott drew out its Razor Shell attack. Pikachu tried to calm it down, but the sea otter Pokémon simply ignored him. As it charged, Sora called out to return it, and Oshawott returned to Sora's staff.  
"Phew! That was close." Sora sighed.  
"You certainly have some energetic Pokémon with you." Prince Pewter chuckled. That was when Elder Oak and Mira took notice to the new group of people.  
"My apologies for not properly introducing ourselves." Oak began, "I am this island's elder, Oak. And this is Sora's mother, Mira."  
"It's a pleasure to meet new friends of Sora's."  
"It is a privilege to be welcomed to your humble island." Prince Pewter returned, "I am the prince of Aurora, Prince Pewter."  
"I'm Tidus, Sora's apprentice." Prince Pewter's aids, Teller and Opal, introduced themselves as well.  
And then, "And I am Yolanda, Sora's betrothed."  
"Betrothed?" Mira gasped, "When did this happen?"  
"Long story, mother." Sora told her, then he requested, "Elder, may I make my way to the island ruins?"  
"Very well." Elder Oak complied, "In the meantime, we shall speak with Prince Pewter and his companions."  
Before Sora did take off, Tidus pleaded, "Could I please go with Sora too? I want to see these ruins he told us about."  
"Me too. I'd love to try exploring myself." Yolanda chimed in. oak complied with their requests, but advised that they remain with Sora and follow his instructions. Sora then returned Bayleef to his staff, in case he needed her help, and took off with Tidus and Yolanda for the ruins.

Meanwhile, in the sea, the three mermaids were busy looking for the sea caves that they heard from the Wailord. But while Kari and Sarah were busy looking, Rina took the time to look out onto the mainland. To be perfectly honest, Rina still did not understand this interest she had in humans, let alone Sora. But just at the mention of his name, something inside her felt different. Disturbed maybe. All the frustration and hatred she used to have against humans felt distant, and misplaced. And with it, she wondered if she and Sora could possibly be… more.  
Rina's sisters were observant in her distant behavior, and became even more suspicious as to why.  
"You think something happened to Rina during that storm?" Sarah asked her sister.  
"I have come to think so." Kari elaborated, "Out of the three of us, Rina has had the biggest hatred of humans ever since those pirates years ago. The way they treated those Pokémon like slaves, it was sickening."  
"I don't think I'll ever get those images out of my head. And I doubt Rina would too. So, why does she follow these humans?"  
"Well, she had said she had taken an interest in that Sora human. But what about him is different from all other humans?" All Sarah could do was shrug. Whatever happened to their sister was a mystery to them.  
Just then, Kari's Squirtle called out to them, pointing to a section of sea wall. When the two mermaids went to investigate, they found a massive cave entrance embedded in the rock. The hidden sea caves.  
"Good work Squirtle." Kari thanked.  
"Piplup, go get Rina for us." Sarah told her partner. And Piplup swam up to the rock Rina rested on.

Rina's thoughts swirled around the boy, Sora. She was quite fixated on him. Ever since the day of the storm, Rina could not quite understand for her fixation. But then, she remembered his valiant effort to save his Squirtle, the love he had for his Pikachu, and the synchronization he had with Bulbasuar while in battle. She had often thought that humans believed that Pokémon were inferior beings. But Sora portrayed a attitude that was quite the opposite. Could she have been wrong?  
In her mind's wanderings, Rina was caught by surprise when Piplup came up to her, informing her that her sisters had found the sea caves.  
With a sigh, she whispered to herself, "Someday, I want to know Sora more. And maybe, just maybe, I can be with him." Coming back to the real world, Rina dove back into the water and followed Kari and Sarah into the caves.

In the wooded area of the island, Sora and his companions trekked to where the ruins were located. Sora remembered, when he was little, that he had accidentally stumbled upon those ruins while chasing after Pokémon. Back then, he had no idea about what they were for. But just before he left for his adventure, Elder Oak had told him the legend. And now that he was older, he hoped to unlock what was inside.  
"Whoa! Look at all the Pokémon." Tidus gasped, spotting pairs of Pidgey and Taillow in the treetops.  
"There certainly are some unique ones around here." Yolanda observed, seeing Wooper and Lotad in the ponds to their left.  
"Trinity Island is home to a lot of unique Pokémon that you wouldn't find in Aurora." Sora told them, "But it is also home to rarer Pokémon that aren't found anywhere else."  
"You mean like your Bulbasaur and Squirtle?" Tidus asked eagerly.  
"Right. Many people come here, hoping to befriend them."  
"But, you have those two and a Charizard. How come?" Yolanda inquired.  
"That's a rarer case. And even more uncommon is befriending a Pikachu like I have."  
"So Pikachu really was your first partner?" Tidus pressed.  
"Yep." Sora affirmed, "Then, we befriended Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle while we lived here."  
"And no one else has been able to do that before?" Yolanda questioned.  
"Nope. No one, save me. Because when people typically bond with any of the three here, the other two will be blocked."  
"That is so cool!" Tidus beamed, "I wonder if I can befriend a trio like you master."  
"Maybe Tidus. Maybe."  
Just then, the group arrived at a set of ruins at a juncture where the forest, ponds, and mountain all joined together. On the doors was a triangle with elemental symbols: fire on top, grass on the right, and water on the left. As Sora approached, the three symbols began to glow and the door opened.  
"Stay close." Sora instructed his friends. So they did as they entered the ruins. Inside was a long hallway, with vines growing over the walls, and luminescent fungi and flowers dotting the inside that cast a soft glow. At the far end stood a slab of stone, marked with writing and an image of someone surrounded by three Pokémon, forming a triangle. As Sora and company approached, they saw the same element symbols from earlier in three circles placed in a triangle on the ground.  
"So, now what?" Tidus asked.  
"You said you needed to present the three Pokémon to unlock the treasure hidden here, right? 'The stream of constant change, the meadow of noble duty, and the inferno of unbridled passion.'" Yolanda recited. But Sora already knew which Pokémon to call upon.  
With Pikachu on his shoulder, Sora called out, "Stream of change, Squirtle! Meadow of nobility, Bulbasaur! Inferno of passion, Charizard!" As he called out each Pokémon's name, the corresponding Pokémon came out and stood on the corresponding element symbol, with Sora in the center. Once all three appeared, lights shined out from beneath each one and the Guardian. And then, the floor beneath them fell out, and they dropped.  
"SORA!" Tidua and Yolanda gasped.

Earlier, in the caves below the island, the three mermaids and their two escorts navigated their way through the tunnels. They were lucky enough to have not any dead ends or crossroads, but they did not let their guard down for even a second. Who knew what they could expect to happen here.  
"I wonder if there will be treasure hidden here." Kari spoke suddenly.  
"Treasure?!" Sarah squealed in delight, "Ooh, I hope so! Imagine: gold, diamonds, emeralds. All sorts of pretty gems to find."  
"And if we find it, we'll get it before any human does." Kari pointed out, "We could have so many precious trinkets that we wouldn't know what to do with them."  
"Yeah. We might even get to make statues of ourselves with all that gold. Right Rina?"  
"Huh?" Rina said, not even listening to the conversation, "Oh yeah. Treasure."  
"Are you thinking about that human again?" Kari interrogated.  
"Rina, come on! This is treasure we are talking about." Sarah griped, "Gold and jewels! Isn't that way better than some human?" For Rina, nothing seemed to get her mind off of Sora. Even the thought of finding treasure did not seem as enticing as it was for her sisters.  
Kari and Sarah were picking up on this, and decided on a method to get their sister's head back underwater.  
"Let's find that treasure, then we'll decide what to do with it." Kari suggested. Sarah agreed, and Rina sorta complied vacantly. It was as that moment that the cave began to shake. The tremor was so strong that parts of the cave began to fall. A slab of stone fell right in front of Kari's Squirtle, scaring it off into the deeper parts of the cave.  
"Squirtle, come back!" Kari called, and she swam after it. Rina, Sarah, and Piplup swam after her to make sure nothing else happened.

After a while of falling, Sora and Pikachu became sprawled out at the bottom of the drop. Immediately following, Squirtle and Bulbasaur landed on top of him. Luckily, Charizard used its massive wings to parachute itself next to the dog pile.  
With a groan, Sora said, "That smarts. I didn't think it would do that." But then he began to notice the place he and his friends had fallen in. It was a huge underground lake, with luminescent mushrooms and flowers casting a green and blue hue. Where he and the Pokémon had landed was covered with grass, with a single tree near the water's edge to their left. And to the right, steam vents and hot springs dotted a blackened landscape that had several flowers and lilies sticking out. The whole place looked like a fusion of Trinity Island, a unity of elements.  
But as Sora and his Pokémon marveled at the sight, they heard something cry out. They ventured to where the noise was coming from, and saw a young Squirtle flailing on its shell. Not wasting a second to ponder, Sora set his staff in the ground and went over to help the turtle Pokémon.  
"Hang on. I gotcha." Sora soothed. He placed one hand below Squirtle's head, and his other hand on his its belly, and flipped it onto its feet. Once the tyke realized it was alright, it looked up to find that Sora had helped it. Then, Sora noticed that its arm was scraped somewhat.  
"Don't worry." He assured, "I'll heal that with some Revival paste."  
But before he could even reach for his medicine poach, a girl's voice cried out, "Don't you dare touch my Squirtle!"  
"Piplup, use Bubblebeam!" Looking up just in time, Sora dodged a stream of super powered bubbles that were coming down on him. When he looked up to his attackers, he saw that they were girls, with a Piplup standing proudly in front of the one with dark-blue hair. The girls kept themselves somewhat submerged, so only their heads showed.

"How dare you try to hurt a poor, defenseless Pokémon!" the one with blue hair scolded, "You should be ashamed of yourself."  
"Wait, that's not it!" Sora tried to reason.  
But then the other one interrupted, "If you want to be so cruel, then let's battle!"  
Sora tried to explain himself once more, but then Piplup and Squirtle attacked with a Bubblebeam and Bubble attack. Sora dodged once more, and realized the time for talking was past. Then, Charizard stood before his master, and roared a mighty roar.  
"Bad move, sending a Fire-type against two Water-types." The blue haired girl taunted.  
"This will be an easy win." The brown haired one beamed proudly. But Sora thought otherwise.  
True, he was at a disadvantage by type. However, Charizard was far stronger than either Pokémon. And he knew his partner was itching to show these two a thing about underestimating its power.

"Piplup, use Whirlpool!" Piplup summoned a massive swirl of water over itself, and launched it right at its opponent.  
"Charizard, counter with Flamethrower!" Charizard let loose a tongue of fire so hot it evaporated the Whirlpool in an instant.  
"Squirtle, hit it with your Ice Beam!" Squirtle released a sub thermal beam at Charizard, which it blocked using its wing. As it froze over, Charizard shattered the ice with its deafening roar. The two girls didn't like the looks of where this battle was going.  
So the blue haired one cried out, "Hydro Pump Piplup! And hurry!" With a mighty chirp, Piplup blasted a torrent of water at Charizard.  
"Charizard, use Dragon Tail to block it!" Sora called out. As energy surrounded its tail, Charizard used the attack and diverted the blast of water.  
Now things looked really bad for the girls. None of their attacks seemed to even scratch Charizard.  
"While it is true Water-types have the advantage over Fire-types," Sora lectured, "that doesn't mean water always trumps fire. It also depends on the strength of the Pokémon." With the warm up over, Charizard flapped its massive wings, and lifted itself into the air. Piplup and Squirtle began to whimper at the terrifying sight, and the girls cringed at the predicament.  
"Now it's my turn." Sora announced, "Charizard, Flamethrower!" With a mighty roar, Charizard let loose more fire onto the two Pokémon.  
Desperate, the brown-haired girl cried out, "Squirtle, use Rapid Spin to dodge!"  
"Piplup, block with Hydro Pump!" But while Squirtle managed to evade the inferno, Piplup was unable to counter with Hydro Pump and got roasted by the attack.  
Squirtle then made its way to Charizard, spinning really fast. But Charizard caught the projectile in its claws with relative ease.  
"Now Charizard, Seismic Toss." Holding Squirtle close to itself, Charizard went as high as it could go, circled around with a few aerial flips, and then dove down and slammed Squirtle into the ground, hard. With that, the battle was over.

As Charizard landed, Sora, Pikachu, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur went to check on the two battlers.  
"Stay away from them!" the blue haired girl demanded.  
But then, "Sarah, Kari, calm down! He's not going to hurt them." Sora looked behind the two girls to see Rina swimming up to them. She looked very stern, and Sora figured out why.  
"You two must be Rina's sisters." He said aloud, "You're mermaids!"  
With a mighty "Harumph!," Sarah scoffed, "That's preposterous! Mermaid aren't real."  
"And even if they were, how would you know?" Kari added in a proud manner.  
"Um, because Rina is a mermaid. And she told me she had sisters." Sora pointed out. The two mermaids gasped in shock. They couldn't believe their sister ratted them out to some random human. But Rina pushed past them, pulled herself up onto the grassy landscape, and tended to Piplup's injuries. Sora applied a green paste to Squirtle's scrape, and fed it a Revival Herb to restore its energy. Immediately, Kari's Squirtle was looking refreshed and restored. Once he was done tending to it, he looked over to Piplup, and did the same procedure. After both Pokémon were fit and energized, they returned to their masters.  
"Why would you help creatures you view as inferior?" Kari questioned.  
"Yeah. Don't you think it's a little beneath you to help Pokémon?" Sarah accused.  
Sora was quite confused by the accusation. So he answered, "I would never think that. I think all Pokémon are amazing, and great friends. But, it does make me sad when I see people who treat Pokemon as nothing more than tools. But I never think that." Both mermaids were quite surprised by his response. Sora was one peculiar human.  
"Well, thanks for healing our Pokémon." Sarah replied bitterly.  
"But, if you ever treat your Pokémon like inferiors, we will punish you for it!" Kari threatened. And they dove under.  
"Don't take it personally." Rina assured him, "They're just starting to get to know humans like I have."  
"It's alright." Sora returned, "I'm getting to know more about mermaids and their Pokémon. That was an awesome battle we had!"  
"I'm amazed that you managed to beat two Water-types with a Charizard."  
The two shared a laugh, and Sora's Pokémon joined up with them. Pikachu nuzzled next to Rina, Squirtle stood proudly next to her, Bulbasaur sat in Sora's lap, and Charizard rested behind him. As they looked out to the cavern, something about it came across Sora's mind. A unity of differences. Then he remembered something.  
"Do you remember when we first met, when you asked me to come with you?" he spoke up.  
"Yeah. I remember." Rina affirmed.  
"Well, do you want to travel with me? I promise to keep your identity a secret from the others."  
"I'd love to, but how would we?" That put a hurdle in Sora's plans. How would he hide Rina's identity as a mermaid? What could he do?  
Just then, he remembered, "Yolanda! Tidus!" They're still waiting for me." Rina was saddened when Sora mentioned his companions. So she began to wonder if Sora even considered her to be one of his friends.  
With a heavy heart, Rina made her way to the water, whispering, "Good-bye, Sora." But before her tail even tapped the surface, Sora grabbed her wrist to stop her.  
As she stared at him, Sora asked, "Will I be able to find you again?" Rina's heart lifted, if only somewhat, at the question.  
With a slight blush, Rina laced her pinky finger with his and told him, "I will always be close by. If you truly wish to see me, seek me out." The, she dove back underwater.

Back in the ruins, Yolanda was calling Sora's name, hoping he would hear her. But the only thing that returned were echoes of her own voice. She was beginning to lose hope.  
"Don't worry princess." Tidus assured, "Knowing my master, he's alright. I'll bet he's looking for a way to get back to us."  
"And how do you know he hasn't-" Yolanda challenged, not daring to finish that sentence. She tried desperately to hold back tears, but she was on the tipping point. That is, until they heard a roar from the hole Sora fell into. And then, a mighty Charizard appeared out of the hole, carrying Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Pikachu, and Sora.  
As the mighty fire dragon, set down, and Sora disembarked, Yolanda latched onto him almost immediately. "Oh thank heavens! You're safe." She cried, letting the tears finally stream.  
"So? What did you find down there?" Tidus asked.  
With a smirk, Sora replied, "Quite a lot."

After returning to town, Sora told everybody about what he had found in the ruins. He left out when he battled the mermaids, and merely told them about the cavern he found down there.  
"A unity of elements?" Teller questioned.  
"Indeed." Elder Oak pondered, "In all reality, the three elements are not so very different. Our island may appear to keep them separate, but in actuality, they are all linked."  
"How so?" Prince Pewter asked.  
"Well, fire may destroy life to an extent, but it actually sparks renewal in life itself. Water provides that very life with replenishment, and the land begins anew."  
"Of course. It makes absolute sense." Opal shouted out.  
"Indeed." Cancer elaborated, "Volcanic soil is actually the best for growing plant life, and the water helps them make food. All three actually work in tandem quite well." It was a lot to understand, but everyone seemed to agree with the idea.  
Clearing his throat, Oak spoke, "Sora, I have some news. The Island Chieftains have found you worthy to challenge them to battle."  
"They have?" Sora quizzed.  
"Island Chieftains? Who are they?" Yolanda asked.  
"The Island Chieftains are a group of warriors that are said to be the strongest in the world." Prince Pewter explained, "There are eight, and they only will allow challengers they deem strong enough to battle them."  
"Strong, and with great respect for Pokémon." Oak corrected, "And they have recognized your talents, my boy."  
"That's great!" Sora beamed, "Then I accept!"  
"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted out.  
"Another new adventure for my son." Mira said, "Sora, know that we all stand behind you to win."  
"Thank you mother."

The next day, the crew was getting ready for departure. But while Sora waited to board, Elder Oak and his mother came up to him with a small chest.  
"This is for you, from a fellow elder on one of the islands." Oak told the Guardian. He opened the chest, and inside were a pair of stones. One was almost as big as Sora's hand and orange in color, with a marking of a leaf inside. The other was no bigger than a pebble, and rainbow colored.  
Curious, Sora inquired, "What are they?"  
"I honestly do not know." Oak replied, "But I was told these two stones can enable your Pokémon to grow even stronger. I believe the big one should go to your Charizard. The small one is for you."  
As Sora took the two stones, his mother spoke, "This belonged to your father. It was his good luck charm." And she placed a bracelet on Sora's left wrist (Note: the Mega Ring). There was a hole just large enough for the small stone. Sora put the stone in it, and marveled at it for a quick bit.  
"Thank you, Elder, mother."  
"Good luck, my boy."  
With their farewells, Sora joined the crew onboard just as the _'Aura'_ cast off. And as they sailed off, three unlikely stowaways rested on the ships anchor once more.

 _ **Next time,**_

 _ **Rina: How wonderful would it be to see how humans live.**_  
 _ **Sora: Well, you're in luck. While we look for the first Chieftain, I can take you to explore the town.**_  
 _ **Rina: But how? I'm a mermaid.**_  
 _ **Sora: Don't worry. I've got an idea.**_  
 _ **Rina: That's what worries me.**_

 _ **Next chapter,**_  
 _ **The Venturing**_


	6. The Venturing

**Hey there mates. We're back! And we reach the first destination on Sora's Chieftain challenge: Topaz Island.**

 **But, before our favorite trainer gets to battle for his first victory, we get to spend a little time with a certain mermaid who wants to know more about humans. Well, at least it ought to be interesting.**

 **Again, I do not own Pokemon. That is the appropriate property of Nintendo and Game Freak.**

 **Now, enjoy, fave, and review. Pretty please?**

Sora was hanging on some of the ropes, looking out on the horizon in eager anticipation. Drake had told the crew that they would make landfall soon. Their first stop: Topaz Island, the home of the first Chieftain. Unfortunately, no one had any information on the Chieftains. Nobody knew who they were or what kind of Pokémon they used. So Sora had no means to prepare for his first battle.  
But he didn't let that dampen his spirits. No, Sora was eager for the challenge. And not knowing his opponent made it even more enticing. Pikachu shared his enthusiasm, and rested dutifully on Sora's shoulder like always.  
"You certainly seem excited Sora." Prince Pewter spoke to the eager guardian.  
"Of course." Sora responded, "It's the first time since forever that I get to fight a tough opponent other than Ragnar. I can't wait to face them."  
"Pika Pika." Pikachu cheered.  
"Hey Sora, Cancer needs your help below deck." Drake informed. With a mighty leap, Sora landed on the deck and rushed below deck.

On the anchor, Rina shared much of Sora's enthusiasm. Eight strong warriors, called Chieftains, challenging him to battle. It was definitely something to look forward to, even for a mermaid like her. But, she wasn't sure if she would get to see such a battle.  
"So, Sora has to battle these eight Chieftains because they challenged him?" Sarah went over.  
"That's what we heard." Kari affirmed, "But it will be great to see battles like that."  
"Yeah. The last battle that we experienced was against his Charizard." Sarah reminded, shuddering, "That wasn't fun."  
"Don't forget." Rina pointed out, "You two attacked him, and his Charizard acted out of self-defense. These next eight battles will be different." The other two couldn't argue with that. They hadn't gotten over their previous misgivings about humans, but they did consider Sora to be different from most other humans.  
Just then, an explosion rocked the ship from the inside, nearly knocking the mermaids off their perch.  
"Sorry!" they heard the human called Cancer cry out.  
"Let's just hope we get to the first island in one piece." Sarah griped.

The next day, the crew finally made landfall on Topaz Island. Besides the port town they landed in, the rest of the island looked rather barren. There wasn't any plant life living anywhere.  
Sora was about to disembark from the ship, when Drake managed to grab him by the collar and chastised, "Oh no you're not! You're staying here."  
Sora was perplexed, until Prince Pewter explained, "We can't let the first Chieftain know about you until it is time to battle. Since we don't know about them, we need to keep you a secret too."  
"That's not fair!" Sora complained.  
"Pika!" Pikachu added.  
"We'll be back, once we have found this Chieftain." Prince Pewter assured. And with that, he and the others disembarked. But Cancer had his sister Sparky remain, though with much resistance.  
In the water, Sarah and Kari decided to go explore the waters around the island. Rina opted to remain behind. One way or another, she was going to try to find out more about Sora. But how?

A few minutes later found Sora on the prow of the ship, slouched over from not getting to follow the others. It wasn't fair that he had to stay behind until they found the Chieftain. Even if the Chieftain found out about him, he didn't think it would put him at a disadvantage.  
But even with that reasoning, he couldn't just abandon Sparky. The little tyke was chasing Pikachu and her Dedenne around the ship in a game of tag. The sight of them playing lifted Sora's spirits, but not enough to get him over his depression over not helping his friends. It ate at him to not be doing anything. He needed to venture out to the island.  
It was then that he heard someone call, "Psst! Sora." It was Rina. Sora recognized her voice right away. But he couldn't see where she was calling from.  
"Down here, below the ship." When he looked down, he saw Rina floating there.  
"Rina?!" he gasped, but then he remembered that Sparky was still onboard. Lowering his voice slightly, he asked, "What are you doing down there?"  
"Duh! I followed you guys." Rina scoffed, "We did promise to meet again. Remember?"  
"Right. Sorry."  
"Hey Sora, can I come onboard, so I don't get discovered?" Understanding the request, Sora looked over to Pikachu and signaled him to keep Sparky and Dedenne busy. Pikachu understood the command, and led the two below deck.  
With that done, Sora told Rina, "Give me a sec. I'll get you onboard."

After much difficulty, albeit jealousy mostly, Sora managed to have his Bayleef and Bulbasaur use Vine Whip to carry Rina to his quarters. After the two set Rina down on Sora's bunk, Bayleef nuzzled its master affectionately.  
"Thanks Bayleef, Bulbasaur." Sora chuckled, "Now get some rest." And he returned the two Grass-types to his staff.  
As Rina looked around the room, she was impressed by its contents. Plaques and trophies lined the walls from Sora's various accomplishments. There were even a couple portraits of Sora in battle with a few of his partners. It was pretty spectacular to see.  
"Are these from your travels to the other islands?" she asked.  
"Yep." Sora answered, "All the journeys and hardships me and my Pokémon faced are on these walls. We definitely came a long way."  
"You must be a pretty skillful guardian to have so many friends."  
"It's not because of me. My Pokémon were the ones to do all this."  
"But you did help them, didn't you?"  
"I guess I did." But then something came into Sora's mind.  
"Say, Rina, why have you gotten so interested in humans? And in me?" he asked her.  
"What do you mean?" she replied.  
"It's just… Well, I've never met a mermaid before. And any of the stories I've heard say they doom those that meet them. I'm just curious at why you're so interested in us."  
With a sigh, Rina spoke, "You're actually the first human that we have ever found interesting. Ever since I heard about how you helped that Lapras, I've felt a strange change inside me."  
Taking a seat next to her, Sora inquired, "What kind of change?" Pikachu came in after Sparky went back on the deck with Dedenne, and cocked its head inquisitively, eager to know what his partner was curious to know.  
"For a long time, my sisters and I thought that humans were evil. That everywhere they went, destruction and corruption occurred. So we sink human ships to keep them from doing harm, and protecting Pokémon. But when I heard about you and what you did, I began to doubt my original belief. You were the first human I have ever heard to save a Pokémon, and value them as equals. So naturally, I wanted to know more."  
Sora seemed to understand Rina's reasoning. It was no exaggeration to say he had encountered his share of cruel humans on his travels. Pirates and slave traders, and then there was Tyrannia, Ragnar's kingdom. That place was the worst.  
Just then, Sora noticed Pikachu present in the room. And not a moment later, Sparky and Dedenne came into his room, and spotted the strange, red-haired mermaid next to him. Immediately, her eyes went super wide.  
Fearing that she was shocked, Sora tried to reason, "Sparky, it's okay. She's a friend. Her name is Rina, and she is a—"  
"MERMAID!" Sparky cheered, leaving Sora, Rina, and Pikachu dumbfounded, "A real mermaid! On our ship! So cool! My name's Sparky, Ms. Mermaid, and this is Dedenne."  
"Denne." Dedenne squeaked atop Sparky's head.  
"A pleasure to meet you Sparky. My name's Rina."  
"But I just said that." Sora grumbled.  
But Sparky and Rina didn't pay him any attention, as Sparky peppered, "Your tail is so pretty. Do you really live in the ocean? Where did you come from? Are there more of you? Do you like people?"  
"Sparky, she isn't going to tell you any of that." Sora chastised, "Mermaids don't really reveal themselves to people." Just then, an idea came into Sora's mind. It would be disobeying the prince, but it would be worth it.  
"Actually, want to give me a hand with something Sparky?" Sora grinned. That expression was translated to Sparky, and she was eager to help. Rina, however, was out of the loop.  
"Help with what?" she asked.  
"I have an idea for how to show you more stuff about humans without anyone finding out your secret." Rina didn't know why she felt so off, but something inside her wasn't sure about this plan.

Some time later, Sora and Pikachu waited outside Yolanda's quarters as Sparky helped Rina. Before their voyage, the princess loaded her designated room with a small wardrobe of fancy dresses, for reasons of her own. While no one was able to object to Yolanda's idea, it turned out to be a perfect way for Sora to hide Rina's mermaid tail.  
After much scuffling, swishing, and complaining, Sparky finally announced, "The maiden is ready." She opened the door for Sora to come in, and his jaw pretty much put a whole through the ship.  
Rina wore a teal blue dress, the same color as her tail, with long sleeves that were puffed up at the elbow and shoulders. The dress hid Rina's tail so perfectly, that Sora could've sworn she was human. Rina blushed so rose red from being seen that she tried to hide it. Despite such beauty, Sparky looked displeased.  
"It's missing something important." She mumbled. Then an idea came to her. Going back into Yolanda's closet, Sparky picked a spare tiara from one of the shelves. Then she had Rina lean forward on her seat so she could put it perfectly in Rina's hair. With it, the ensemble was complete.  
"You look… beautiful." Sora murmured, transfixed by Rina's beauty.  
"I don't know." Rina replied, slightly embarrassed by the attention, "Don't you think it's a bit much, Sparky?"  
"Nonsense! Princess Yolanda taught me all there was to know about beauty." Sparky refuted, "Because now, you're a keeper." Rina was puzzled by her words, but Sora face-palmed at it. Sparky had been prone to pull stunts like this whenever a cute girl was around. It was almost as worse as as the prince's efforts to woo girls he thought were cute.  
"You would make a perfect wife for Cancer." Sparky explained, "Of course, he would need to know you're a mermaid. And would he have to live in the sea? Cancer has trouble swimming. Maybe you could live on land with us…" But before this could continue, Sora had his Snivy pull Sparky away with Vine Whip.  
With a sigh, Sora apologized to Rina for Sparky's outburst, and told her, "She does this quite a lot. But usually, Cancer is the one to stop her."  
"It's alright." Rina assured, then inquired, "But how will I travel with you? This dress is nice, but I'm kinda stuck here."  
"No need to worry. I've got it covered."  
"Sarah says the same thing, which makes me worry." Rina muttered. But Sora gave Rina a wink and a grin, which made her think he did have that problem solved.

Sora had Bayleef and Bulbasaur help him carry Rina again as they walked off the gangplank onto the dock. Pikachu, Dedenne, and Sparky followed behind them. Nobody was present on the dock besides the group, and anyone within the area was busy in other matters and paid no attention to what was going on.  
Finding a suitable area with strong support, Sora called out, "Alright! Torterra, come on out!" And a beam of light shot out, and became a massive, green tortoise that had a tree on its back.  
"Torterra, I need your help to carry Rina around town." Sora requested of his sturdy friend. Torterra knew what Sora requested of it, and lowered itself to allow Bayleef and Bulbasaur to set Rina on its back. Once onboard, Rina thanked Torterra for helping her.  
"Alright, travel time!" Sparky cheered. But then Sora held his staff in front of her, blocking her way.  
"Hold up. We need you to stay behind in case the others come back." He told her.  
"Aw! But I wanna come too." She moaned.  
"If you stay, I promise to tell you more about me." Rina offered. Enticed by the offer, Sparky immediately agreed to the plan, and went back on the ship with Dedenne. Impressed, as well as relieved, Sora returned Bayleef and Bulbasaur, and led Rina through town.

It was no exaggeration to say Rina was eager to see the marketplace. She was very quizzical about everything: the food, the jewels, the clothes, the tools, pretty much everything human made. Sora did his best to explain to her about the place, but Rina was like a kid in a candy shop. Each new thing piqued her interest to the point where she was barely paying attention to anything Sora said.  
After about an hour of browsing and exploring, Sora and Rina settled down near the only fountain plaza in town. Rina was so excited to see everything that she flicked her tail a couple of times, nearly giving herself away. But Sora and Pikachu helped her to keep off everyone's radar.  
"I know you're excited to be here," he reasoned, "but please don't draw attention to yourself. I can't protect you very well if you get discovered."  
"Sorry Sora." Rina replied, "But I'm just so amazed at everything here. I never knew humans lived such wonderful lives."  
"Well, I bet you and your sisters have places like this where you come from, right?" Almost immediately, Rina's cheerful expression turned sullen.  
"Sora, our lives have never been like this. We don't know if there are other mermaids out in the world." She told him, "We think we're the only mermaids in the world. That's why there are only stories about our kind. There may not be others out there. Just the three of us."  
Feeling guilty for asking, Sora said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."  
"Chu. Pika Pi." Pikachu tried to comfort.  
"It's alright." Rina spoke, petting Pikachu's tail, "I guess it's only natural you would think that." A moment of silence fell over them. Sora wanted to cheer Rina up once more, but he was unsure as to how he would.  
That is until he and Rina heard explosions from a battle sounding in the distance.  
With energy revived, Sora called out, "C'mon! Let's go see what's going on." And he rushed off, with Torterra working to keep up with its speedy master.

Upon arrival, Sora spotted the two current battlers in the center of the crowd. Both were muscly men, and their Pokémon were equally tough. One had an Ursaring, a huge bear Pokémon with a circle on its belly. The other was a Donphan, a gray Pokémon with tusks and a long trunk. Rina and Torterra arrived just as the last attack was being called.  
"Donphan, Rollout!" Donphan curled into a ball, and rolled towards Ursaring at lightning speed. The attack nailed Ursaring, and it fainted right after the blow was dealt.  
"That's it!" the referee proclaimed, "Donphan wins!" The crowd cheered at the victory, as Ursaring's trainer returned it and ran from the loss in disgrace. Sora was impressed. That Donphan had been well-trained and well cared for.  
Then, Donphan's trainer announced, "Is there anyone out there willing to take me on and break my 15 win streak?"  
Eager to try his luck, Sora shouted, "I will." But his challenge was met with laughter. Everyone found it funny for a kid to take on a powerful trainer like this man.  
"School is the other way kid. This is for real battlers." Donphan's trainer smirked.  
Offended, Rina called out, "Do you know who you are talking to? This is Sora, Guardian of Aurora. He has bested men that were stronger than you." This outburst brought some murmuring among the crowd. Some people had heard of Sora, but they never figured he would be a kid.  
With a mighty "guffaw," the man replied, "Very well, guardian. We'll give you a shot. One-on-one, with no substitutions." Excited, Sora raced to the other side of the field, facing his opponent confidently.  
"Totodile, I choose you!" in a flash from his staff, a blue, crocodile Pokémon appeared to battle. Once it did, it danced around very cheerfully. This again brought laughter from the ongoers.  
"This one is for you, Rina." Sora told his friend. But Rina didn't know whether to feel embarrassed, enraged, touched, or all of the above.  
But it didn't matter, as the referee called out, "BEGIN!"

Right when the battle began, Donphan's trainer ordered, "Use Rollout, Donphan!" the tusk Pokémon curled into a ball, and charged at the dancing Totodile.  
But then Sora called out, "Totodile, jump on it." Receiving the order, Totodile leapt atop Donphan, and used its fancy footwork to stay on top.  
"Shake that dancing lizard off!"  
"Stay on top, and use Water Gun on the ground." As much as Donphan tried to shake Totodile off, the little crocodile Pokémon was not budging one bit. In addition, Totodile blasted jets of water towards the ground, as it was instructed.  
"You're kinda wasting your attacks kid." Sora's opponent smirked, "Rollout gets faster and stronger the longer it's used. Once that Totodile is shaken off, we'll finish it with one hit. This battle is as good as ours."  
"That would be true." Sora responded confidently, "But you might want to take a look at your Donphan right now." As everyone began to take notice, they saw that Donphan's rolling had actually slowed down considerably. Making the field wet and muddy caused it to lose traction, and thus struggle to gather momentum. Rina was impressed in the fact that Sora could be this strategic, even with a Water-type. After Donphan slowed to a crawl, Totodile leaped off its back and faced it once more.  
"Now Totodile, use Water Gun on Donphan!" Totodile let loose a powerful sream of water from its huge maw, and nailed Donphan dead-on. Because it was super effective, Donphan fainted instantly.  
"That's it! The match goes to Guardian Sora!" the ref called. The crowd was astonished by such a result. Sora only called on a single attack to fight Donphan, and it wasn't just to attack it. It was a strategy they never saw coming. As Pikachu and Sora went to congratulate Totodile on a well-earned victory, Donphan and its trainer came over and shook hands (and trunk) with their opponents.  
"That was rather crafty, slowing Donphan down with a muddy field." The man remarked, "You definitely are a strong battler."  
"Thank you. You're pretty strong too." Sora complemented. Saying farewell, the trainer and Donphan took off for parts unknown.

Afterwards, Sora took Rina to the coast to relax. Sora breathed in the sea air deeply as he rested alongside his mermaid friend on Torterra.  
"You knew how to beat that man from the start, didn't you?" Rina quizzed.  
"Kinda." Sora chuckled, "I figured he would use Donphan against me, so I had to use a Pokémon that took away its main strength."  
"I see. And that's why you used Totodile?"  
"Actually, I was also thinking of using my Heracross or Glalie. But I wanted to battle with Totodile because you were there. I wanted to battle with a Water-type because of you." Rina didn't know what to say. She felt quite flattered that Sora battled with a Pokémon type she loved the most. It made her wonder if there was another reason why Sora chose Totodile.  
"One day, I hope a dream of mine can come true." Sora spoke suddenly.  
Curious, Rina asked, "And what dream is that?"  
"That people and Pokémon can all live together. That we would only battle for fun, not for conquest. And also, I hope you and your sisters can be a part of it too."  
"But Sora, how can we? Even if you can wish it, mermaids and humans can never be together. It's just impossible."  
"If it's impossible, then how come we keep meeting each other?" The two friends pondered it for a bit, then shared a laugh over the idea. But Rina had to admit that Sora had a point. Since she and Sora continued to meet like this, maybe it was possible for a human and a mermaid to live together.  
But as the sun began to hang lower in the sky, Sora informed, "It's getting late. And my friends will be back soon."  
"Same with my sisters." Rina added.  
"Let's head back to the _Aura_ before anyone knows we were gone."  
"Great idea. But this time, I'll provide the ride."

Sparky was pouting on the deck during that whole exchange. She couldn't believe she agreed to stay behind, just so she could know more about Rina and mermaids. It was totally unfair!  
But that was when a huge presence suddenly appeared over the deck. When she turned around, a fierce Gyarados rose over her. On its head was Rina, Sora, and Pikachu. Sora jumped down onto the deck along with Pikachu.  
Then Rina called out, "Sora, here!" And she threw down Yolanda's dress towards Sora and Sparky.  
Rina was about to return the tiara when Sparky shouted, "Keep it! Think of it as a gift from us."  
"But… it belongs to you guys." Rina tried to reason.  
"It's yours now." Sora told her, "A promise that we'll meet again." Rina didn't know what to say. So instead, she put the tiara back on. Then she had her Gyarados lower its head so it was at deck level, and asked Sora to come over.  
When he did, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and whispered, "Promise." Then she and Gyarados dove back under.

A little later, two hooded women approached the ship and called out, "Guardian Sora, we've been expecting you." Once Sora, Pikachu, Sparky, and Dedenne came on deck, they told them, "the Chieftain will see you now. Come with us."

 _Sora: I get to challenge the island Chieftain.  
Rina: Be careful Sora.  
Sora: I will. And I have my Pokémon to help me.  
Rina: And I'll be cheering for you.  
_  
Next time,  
Awakening a Dormant Power


	7. Awakening a Dormant Power

**Hey there. And now, the first big battle of the story. The first Chieftain battle!**

 **First, the disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon at all. Everything other than the story belongs to Nintendo, Game Freak, etc.**

 **Second: I have a poll up that I request be answered soon: Which story would you like to see posted more of; Mermaid Melody or the Guardian and Maiden of the Sea? Submit your answers quickly.**

 **And now, review and enjoy.**

Guest Star: Gary Oak as Chieftain Akito

Rina dreamed of Sora. She dreamed that she was swimming in the deepest part of the ocean, with Sora right beside her. Various Pokémon greeted them as they swam over. Corsola waved cheerfully at the passerbys, Clamperl drowsily greeted the duo, and a school of Mantyke and Mantine glided around them. Rina felt like she was having so much fun, more fun than she ever had.  
Then, Sora grabbed her hand to stop her. As she turned around, the Guardian laced his fingers with hers. Rina recognized this gesture, for she had once seen a human pair do it. Sora pulled Rina close to him, and their gazes locked. And they began to inch their faces forward.

 _Uh, mistress? Mistress?_ came a dopey voice, interrupting Rina's sleep.  
In response, Rina mumbled, "Let me be." But then, some nudging from a bill forced her to wake up, grouchy at being interrupted. When she looked up, she spotted her Psyduck staring at her blankly.  
"Psyduck!" she growled, "Did you have to wake me up?!"  
Psyduck's only response was a big quack, "Psy."

Rina's Psyduck was the only Water-type Rina was not very fond of. It often escaped from her pearl without warning, and then would just make a clown of itself. And more often than not, this angered Rina quite a bit.

After returning Psyduck back to her pearl, Rina noticed her sisters, Sarah and Kari, surface not too far from the beach she was resting on. From the looks of their expressions, something big was happening.  
"Rina, that boy Sora is being taken to face the Chieftain!" Sarah shared eagerly.  
"What?! Already?" she wondered, "Where is he being taken?"  
"To the other side of the island." Kari answered, "If we hurry, we'll be there before him." Without another word, Rina dove back into the water, and made haste for where Sora would battle the Chieftain, quickly followed by her sisters.

After Sora met up with the two strange women at the _Aura_ , they blindfolded him, Pikachu, Sparky, and Dedenne and began to lead him somewhere. Sora wasn't sure what was going on, nor could he understand why the first Chieftain would do this. But if needed, he could fight without his Pokémon. But with no sight to go off of, trying to fight back might be a bad idea. Plus, how could he protect Sparky?  
Eventually, it didn't matter, as his blindfold was removed, and the rising sun blinded him. Pikachu still rested on his shoulder, but he wasn't sure where Sparky was. As his eyes adjusted to the bright light, Sora saw that he was on a cliff overlooking the ocean, standing on a battlefield. As far as he saw, he was the only one there. No one else was yet present. Not Sparky, or Tidus, not even the Chieftain. Just him and Pikachu.  
That was, until Pikachu spotted a cloaked figure approaching the battlefield. His dark-brown hair stood up in a crest over his head, his boots clomped on the gravel with each step he took, and a green and yellow pendant hung on his neck. The first Chieftain.

"So, you are Sora?" he spoke once he arrived at the battlefield.  
"I am." Sora returned, "I am Guardian Sora, from Trinity Island. I hail from the kingdom of Aurora, and accept the challenge you're clan has made."  
"Very well." The Chieftain replied. Then, pulling out a staff that was similar to Sora's, he called out, "To battle, Electivire!" And a light poured out a huge, Electric-type Pokémon with yellow hair, black stripes, and two tails. The Electivire looked menacing, but Sora was ready.  
"I choose you! Heracross!" From his staff came a huge, blue-beetle Pokémon with a giant horn. It faced Electivire, understanding that it was time to battle. Sora felt ready to face his first challenge in a long time. The first Chieftain battle was about to begin.  
But before the battle began, Sora heard Yolanda call out, "Sora!" Looking to the side, Sora spotted his friends standing behind some guards, barred by spears so they couldn't approach.  
"It's fitting to have an audience for our battle." The Chieftain announced, "This will be a 3-on-3 Pokémon battle. Only you are allowed to substitute Pokémon. The match is over when all three Pokémon on either side are unable to continue. Is this understood, Guardian Sora?" Sora nodded.  
"Good luck master." Tidus called out.  
Then, one of the women stood to the side, acting as referee, and yelled, "BEGIN!"

Rina and her sisters surfaced near the battlefield just as the match had begun.  
"Heracross, Megahorn!" they heard Sora call out. Heracross dashed across the field, its horn charged with power.  
"Electivire, block it!" the hooded Chieftain commanded. The giant Electric Pokémon managed to block the attack using its hefty arms. It was pushed back a bit by the force, but it stood its ground in spite of it. "Now counter with Thunder!" Charged with a strong, electrical current, Electivire shot a bolt of lightning into some clouds, which came crashing towards Heracross. Rina instantly worried that Heracross wouldn't withstand the blast.  
But Sora called out, "Use Megahorn, and channel that Thunder!" Standing firm, Heracross charged its massive horn, and took the blast. But the blast barely fazed it as the lightning gathered in its horn. Everyone was amazed by the technique, all except the Chieftain.  
He merely chuckled and asked, "So, you'll use my own Thunder attack against me, right kid?"  
"Nope. I'm just getting Heracross charged up." Sora replied.  
"Whatever. Electivire, hit it with Brick Break!" Electivire rushed over to Heracross, ready to smash into Heracross.  
"Heracross, hit the ground with your horn!" Smashing its head down, Heracross released a charge of the absorbed Thunder attack, causing the ground in front of it to crumble. Part of the ground collapsed over Electivire's feet, trapping it mid-run.  
Sensing his advantage, Sora ordered, "Now use Focus Punch!"  
"Counter with Thunder Punch!" the Chieftain cried. The two Pokémon met in an electrified clash of fists, charging the air and sea.  
"Those two are strong." Kari commented with her sisters.  
"I've never felt such strength." Sarah spoke, "I always thought that only Rina could be that strong." But Rina knew that wasn't their full strength. Every battle she saw Sora in, he seemed to be holding back. Even against that creep Ragnar, Sora wasn't using his full power. But what Rina didn't understand is why? Why was Sora not going all out?  
After the clash, Electivire and Heracross leaped back to their respective sides. Sora had never felt so challenged in a long time. This Chieftain was the real deal. And it made Sora even more anxious to beat him.  
"Not bad Sora." The Chieftain remarked, "You're probably the first challenger in a long time to give me even remotely a challenge. Most warriors usually lose to my Electivire at this point."  
"My thanks." Sora replied, "The same goes for you."  
"Well thanks. But this battle ends now! Electivire, Iron Tail!"  
As Electivire swung its tails, Sora called out, "Block it with Horn Attack!" Heracross took the blow by using its strong horn, sending powerful shockwaves radiating through the air. The Chieftain smirked, but it disappeared when Sora commanded, "Follow up with Focus Punch!" With its fist energized, Heracross threw a punch at Electivire's face before it had a chance to counter. And then, Electivire fainted.  
"Electivire can no longer continue." The ref announced, "Heracross wins!"

Sora's friends cheered at this major victory, and Rina's sisters shouted in glee that Sora beat an Electric-type. But Sora, Rina, and even Prince Pewter remained focused on the battle. For they knew that one win meant little if Sora lost to the Chieftain.  
Returning Electivire to his staff, the Chieftain commented, "Not bad kid. I never expected you to beat my first Pokémon. But my second one won't be as easy." Then he summoned, "Umbreon, show him your true power!" And from his staff came a black Pokémon, with yellow rings dotting parts of its body.  
Taking notice to his Pokémon, Sora called, "You did great Heracross. Now return and rest." And Heracross returned to Sora's staff.  
"Why didn't he keep Heracross out?" Yolanda questioned, "It had a clear advantage over Umbreon, and it had that charge in its horn too."  
"Heracross used a lot of energy battling that Electivire, and even more to absorb that Thunder attack." Prince Pewter told everyone, "Sora may need Heracross later on. And I've got a feeling he'll need it for if he faces this Chieftain's third Pokémon." Once he said that, Tidus and Yolanda grew worried. And some ways behind them, a trio of shadowy figures continued to observe the ensuing battle.  
Looking to his faithful companion, Sora asked, "Are you ready, Pikachu?"  
"Pi!" Pikachu spoke assuredly.  
"Then, I choose you!" Leaping from his shoulder, Pikachu stood ready to face Umbreon, sparks escaping from its cheeks. For the first time in a long time, it was his turn to battle.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Sora called out. Its body becoming limber and agile, Pikachu darted over to Umbreon in a blur of yellow.  
"Umbreon, move out of the way using your Quick Attack!" the Chieftain barked. With speed like lightning, Umbreon leapt over Pikachu and dashed behind it. "Now, Shadow Ball!" Umbreon launched an orb of dark energy at Pikachu. But the little lightning mouse was too quick, and jumped over the attack.  
"Great work buddy." Sora cheered, "Now, use Thunderbolt!" As electricity gathered around it, Pikachu let loose arcs of the energy at Umbreon. The attack nailed its target dead-on, but Umbreon seemed unfazed by the attack. Sora took note of this, and readied himself for the next attack.  
"Faint Attack!" Umbreon raced over to Pikachu, then disappeared all of a sudden. Pikachu looked around for it, but was hit from behind and sent flying towards the cliffside.  
"Pikachu!" Sora cried, throwing down his staff and running after his partner. He leaped into the air, and caught his pal as he crashed down hard, narrowly missing the edge just hanging over the ocean.  
Pikachu looked to him in concern, but Sora grimaced, "I'm alright. I'm just glad you're okay too." Pikachu assured him that he was. So they both got back onto the field, ready for the next round.

"I'm impressed." The Chieftain spoke, "Not too many people will pull that kind of a stunt to protect their Pokémon. You definitely are a worthy opponent."  
"My Pokémon battle hard for me." Sora elaborated, "So I do my best for them too." Those words rang through Rina's head like a gong. Not only were the words strong, but she could feel the sincerity in Sora's voice as well. He was committed to his Pokémon, and did everything he could to ensure they performed at their best.  
"Good words. Let's see you live them out." The Chieftain challenged, "Umbreon, Quick Attack!"  
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" As Umbreon dashed over to Pikachu, the little mouse energized its tail with steel-energy. The two attacks met in a massive clash, but the Iron Tail overpowered Umbreon and knocked it down.  
Keeping the momentum going, Sora cried out, "Great! Now, Volt Tackle!" Rushing towards Umbreon, Pikachu surrounded itself in electrical energy.  
But the Chieftain called out, "Hidden Power!" Umbreon's eyes began to glow white, and mystical spheres appeared around it. But as they were launched by Umbreon, the Volt Tackle acted as a barrier and deflected them all, which stunned both Umbreon and the Chieftain. Before long, Pikachu tackled its opponent, discharging all its energy. Afterwards, Pikachu leaped back to Sora's side of the field. But Umbreon stood still, having taken the attack full force. All was still, both Pokémon as still as statues, everyone watching with bated breath. Then, Sora smiled, and Umbreon collapsed to the ground.

"Umbreon can no longer continue the battle!" the ref proclaimed, "Pikachu is the victor!" Both Sora's friends on land and in the sea cheered greatly for the victory. Sora had bested two of the Chieftain's Pokémon, with great skill and tactic. However, Sora settled himself for his next obstacle. Because this last Pokémon would be the toughest.  
"Alright, Guardian Sora, playtime's over." The Chieftain snarled, returning his exhausted Umbreon, "I see I have to go all out in this next battle. And with this, you will not be victorious." Raising his staff high into the air, the Chieftain roared, "Stand and fight, Blastoise!" And from his staff, a colossal turtle Pokémon with two turrets protruding from its back. The instant Blastoise pounded onto the field, a sense of familiarity washed over Sora.  
"It couldn't be…" he muttered, unable to come to grips with the thought in his head. So he shouted, "Is that you, Akito?" Both Sora's group and the mermaids were puzzled by Sora's accusation. But the Chieftain merely chuckled, and threw off his cloak.  
"Nothing gets by you, huh Sorey?" Akito jeered.  
"Will you stop already?" Sora griped, "But, why are you here? And how did you become a Chieftain?"  
"Simple. I just became the best there was. And I'll remain that way, forever."

"And I thought I saw the end of his face when he left Trinity Island." Drake grumbled aloud.  
Stunned that the captain knew Akito, Tidus asked, "You guys know the first Chieftain?"  
"We did." Kenneth explained, "But he wasn't a Chieftain then. Akito and Sora have had the longest rivalry of anyone we know. Sora had never beaten him before, and Akito kept holding it over his head. He left a month before Sora did for his own journey, and we never saw him since."  
"But Sora's winning now." Yolanda pointed out, "So, Sora should win this time. Right?"  
"Not quite." Drake refuted, "In every victory he had, Akito's Squirtle was his ace. I have no doubt his Blastoise will be too."

Rina and her sisters overheard Drake and Kenneth's story, and were quite puzzled about it.  
"So these two have been rivals since long ago?" Sarah wondered, "And Sora hasn't beaten him in battle ever?"  
"That's what they said." Kari answered, "And I'm betting that Blastoise will win this battle for sure."  
Turning to her sisters in disbelief, Rina exclaimed, "How can you say that?! Don' you want Sora to win?!"  
"Well, no offense to your 'interest,'" Sarah elaborated, "But that Akito guy has a Blastoise, and beat Sora in every battle they had. So naturally, I want the guy who has won before to win again."  
"Me too." Kari agreed, "And since he has a Blastoise, I want him to win the most." Rina felt betrayed by her sisters. She thought they had changed their feelings towards Sora after their battle on Trinity Island. Still, she held firm, and prayed that this time Sora would win.

Back in the battle, sparks flew from Pikachu's cheeks. He remembered his previous battles with Blastoise when it was a Squirtle, and how he wasn't able to beat it. But this time, Pikachu would win. It had to, for Sora's sake.  
But Sora saw how weary Pikachu was from the last battle, so he called, "Pikachu, you deserve a rest. Come on back."  
But Pikachu shouted, "Pika Pikachu!" The action startled Sora, but he quickly understood why his buddy was behaving like this. It wanted to win, and it didn't want to be pulled aside even for a second.  
Understanding its fighting spirit, Sora replied, "Then, let's win this!"  
"Pika!" Pikachu cried out fiercely.

Amused, Akito scoffed, "You're as naïve as ever. Do you really think that wimp can beat my Blastoise?"  
"Pikachu says it wants to battle. And I won't say no." Sora responded, then he called out, "Thunderbolt!" Letting out a mighty cry, Pikachu released a bolting Thunderbolt at Blastoise. But the titan stood its ground, and took the hit full on. Prince Pewter and the group thought that would do it, but Sora saw otherwise. Somehow, Blastoise was channeling the electricity into its twin cannons. When it was done, Pikahu was stunned to see its attack had been absorbed.  
"Gotcha now." Akito grinned, "Blastoise, Hydro Pump!" Then Blastoise released powerful streams of water from its cannons, now charged with Pikachu's Thunderbolt at the little lightning mouse.  
But Sora called, "Jump over it! Then use Volt Tackle!" Dodging the attack with speedy precision, Pikachu landed between the jets, and electrically charged towards Blastoise.  
Akito then called out, "Knock it away with Mega Punch!" Ending its first attack, Blastoise delivered a devastating blow to Pikachu, intercepting its attack. Pikachu soared into Sora, who got blasted back by the force. He skidded to a stop, just a hair from falling over, stopping himself by pounding his staff into the cliff side. As Sora pulled himself up, he saw that Pikachu had fainted.

"Pikachu can no longer battle." The ref announced, "Blastoise is the winner!" Everyone was dumbfounded (well, except for two mermaids in the audience). Sora's most trusted companion, lost! Yolanda gasped in disbelief, Tidus stood aghast, Teller and Opal were trying to comprehend what had just happened, and Rina was having a hard time coming to grips with the result. But Prince Pewter stayed firm, knowing that Sora had a chance to come back and win it.

Sora cradled Pikachu in his arms as he started coming around.  
"You did amazing Pikachu. I couldn't be more proud of you." Sora comforted,  
"Pika." Pikachu replied, disappointed in its defeat and ashamed to have let Sora down.  
But Sora rested Pikachu on his shoulder, and requested, "Get some rest. We can still win." Turning back to the field, Sora sized up Akito's Blastoise. He definitely didn't anticipate its absorbing Pikachu's Thunderbolt. He had to come up with a new plan. But the force from its Mega Punch gave Sora an idea of what to do.  
"Heracross, I choose you!" And Heracross appeared on the field, horn charged from Electivire's Thunder and a fierce determination on its face.  
"Send all the Pokémon you want, they won't beat my Blastoise." Akito boasted, "With it, I am invincible!"  
"Blast!" Blastoise roared. But Sora wasn't going to throw in the towel just yet.  
So he commanded, "Heracross, use Focus Punch!" Heracross raced over to Blastoise, fist charging with energy.  
Akito took it in stride, and called out, "Counter with Mega Punch!" Blastoise's fist met with Heracross's, sending immense shock waves that began blowing everyone back. The force of the clash stirred the waves, and shook the trees. Once it passed, Heracross backed up for its next attack.  
"Alright, use Horn Attack!"  
As Heracross charged at Blastoise, Akito yawned, "Use Hydro Pump." Blastoise hit its target dead on. Heracross tried using its horn to press forward, but the blast pushed back with more force.  
Sensing the change, Sora cried out, "Quick, switch to Megahorn!" Amping up the power in its horn, Heracross cut through the Hydro Pump like a hot knife through butter. If this attack landed, Heracross would lose the charge in its horn, but it would deal tons of damage to Blastoise. Maybe even paralyze it.  
But right at the moment of impact, Akito nonchalantly ordered, "Protect." And a barrier surrounded Blastoise and blocked the potential attack. The last of the horn's charge dissipated, and Sora growled at the turn around.  
But once the Protect wore off, he called, "Heracross, Focus Punch!" and Heracross delivered a devastating Focus Punch to Blastoise's face. But Blastoise barely felt the attack.  
"Mega Punch, then finish it with Hydro Pump." Akito said in a bored manner. Blastoise first dealt a strong uppercut, sending Heracross flying. Then it blasted it with two shots of a Hydro Pump. When Heracross collapsed to the ground, it had been defeated.

"Heracross is unable to battle. Blastoise wins!" Things were really looking bad now. Sora had lost two Pokémon that had some distinct advantage over Akito's Blastoise. And each time, Blastoise stomped them out with relative ease. Everyone figured the Chieftains would be tough, but not this tough.  
As Sora returned Heracross to his staff to rest, he tried to understand how Blastoise beat it and Pikachu. Even if Sora used another Pokémon with an advantage like Sceptile or Bayleef, they didn't have the attack power or defensive power to last against that kind of strength. To beat this powerhouse, Sora would need his own to win.

Staying firm in his idea, he called out, "Charizard, I choose you!" And out appeared the mighty fire dragon. Everyone was deeply perplexed by this choice. Why would Sora send out a Pokémon that was weak against its opponent?  
Laughing hysterically, Akito called out, "Throwing in the towel already, huh Sorey? I never imagined you to be a quitter." Blastoise scoffed at the idea of its opponent being a Charizard, which made Charizard shoot a Flamethrower into the air to show its strength. He knew he was at a disadvantage, but he could still battle.  
Catching his breath from laughing so hard, Akito proclaimed, "Since you have lasted this long, I'll show you a little special trick I learned in my travels. One that will cinch this win for me." Lifting his arm, he revealed a Mega Ring that he had hidden under his glove, much like the one Sora had. Once he tapped the odd stone in the center, a radiant glow blasted out of it. In response, a light jolted out from behind Blastoise's shell.

"Keystone, hear my heart and answer my call."  
"Mega Evolution!"

The two lights connected, and a strange energy snaked over to Blastoise as it changed. Everyone watched in awe as its twin cannons merged into one large on on its back, two smaller shells fitted themselves onto its arm, and its large shell grew larger to accompany the new mega cannon. When it was finished, Blastoise looked like it had evolved into a completely new Pokémon.  
"Say hello to Mega Blastoise, Sorey." Akito taunted, "The power that will end you for good." Everyone was in disbelief. A Mega Pokémon? Was that even possible? Now things had really taken a sour turn.  
"Sora, stop!" Prince Pewter ordered, "Call off the match! There's no way you can beat that kind of power."  
"Don't fight it Sora! It's too strong!" Yolanda pleaded.  
"How can you say that to my master?!" Tidus exclaimed, "He can't surrender now! The Chieftain challenged him. My master won't turn away now."  
"I honestly don't see how Sora can beat this kind of power." Cancer evaluated.  
"I'll be fine." Sora told them all, "I've wanted a challenge like this for a long time. Now I have the chance to test my skills. I'm not backing down now."  
 _Besides_ , Sora thought to himself, _how can I face everyone if I back out now? What would my friends think? What about Rina?_

Rina and her sisters were terrified by the sudden change. The sight of Mega Blastoise scared them quite a lot. Even Sarah and Kari, who wanted it to win, were frightened. When Rina heard Sora say he wouldn't back down, she was scared. She felt afraid of what would happen to him if he lost. She didn't understand the fear in her, but it made her whole body tremble.  
In a whisper, she prayed, "Sora, please come back from this battle."

With both battlers ready, Sora called out, "Charizard, use Flamethrower!" With a mighty roar, Charizard belted out a stream of fire at Blastoise.  
"Counter that with Hydro Pump!" Akito responded. With its massive cannon aimed, Blastoise launched a powerful torrent of water. The two attacks met, but the Hydro Pump pushed back against the Flamethrower. Charizard barely dodged the attack by flying into the air.  
"Alright Charizard, Dragon Tail!" With energy imbued, Charizard flew down and smacked Blastoise in the face. The attack caused Blastoise to stagger, which in turn made it really ticked. Flying back into the air, Charizard awaited its next attack.  
"Now use Steel Wing!" With its mighty wing becoming filled with steel energy, Charizard flew down towards Blastoise.  
"Intercept with Mega Punch!" Just before its wing made contact, Charizard was hit with a super powered punch. The force from the blow catapulted Charizard skyward. "Now use Dragon Pulse!" Aiming its main cannon, and the two mini cannons appearing on its arms, Blastoise launched pure energy that exploded upon impact. From the resulting cloud, fell the mighty Charizard. It's eyes were closed, and its wings were pulled back.  
"Charizard!" Sora cried out.  
"Now, finish it with Hydro Pump!"  
As Blastoise prepped its attack, Akito explained, "With its new Mega Launcher ability, Blastoise's Dragon Pulse was far stronger than normal. When this next attack lands, it will all be over." As soon as they heard that, everyone began shouting to Sora to call off the match.  
But Sora wasn't listening. Instead, he looked to the bracelet his mother gave him before he left home. He looked at the odd stone fitted in it, and pondered: what did Akito call his Blastoise? Mega Blastoise? Could Charizard have that kind of power too? Did he?  
Right as Blastoise released its attack, both Yolanda and Rina cried out, "SORA!" Remembering the process Akito spoke, Sora called out,

"Keystone, hear my heart and answer my call!"

He tapped the keystone on his Mega Ring, and raised it high over his head. Tendrils of light shot out, and snaked towards Charizard. Then, tendrils of light came out from the stone Charizard had on itself, and linked with Sora's lights.

"Mega Evolution!"

The light encompassed Charizard, waking it up and deflecting the Hydro Pump. Akito, Sora's crew, and the mermaids all watched in amazement as Charizard right itself, then began to change. Wing fins grew on its arms, its wings grew wider, the flame on its tail grew in size, and a single horn sprouted on the back of its head. As it transformed, the sun's rays brightened, blinding everyone but Sora. When Charizard became visible in the light, the light surrounding it vanished as it roared out. Now, it was Mega Charizard.  
"Th-That's impossible!" Akito gasped. Everyone else was flabbergasted by Charizard's new form. Not only did it look stronger, it looked unhurt as well. Not only that, but Sora had a fierce expression plastered on his face. Somehow, this battle had completely changed.

Recovering from shock, Akito roared, "So you can Mega Evolve too?! Big deal! I'll still win! Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" But as the Hydro Pump jetted up, the stream of water thinned and weakened. By the time it reached Charizard, it was merely a sprinkle.  
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Sora shouted. This time, the flames became a blaze that consumed Blastoise.  
"How is Charizard so much stronger than Blastoise now?" Tidus asked.  
As it dawned on him, Prince Pewter elaborated, "It's Drought! Charizard's new ability is now Drought, which weakens Water-type attacks while strengthening Fire-type attacks. That's why the sun is stronger now, and why Blastoise is weaker."  
Back in the battle, Sora roared, "Use Seismic Toss!" Racing through the flames, Charizard caught Blastoise and began carrying it upward.  
Not wanting to back down now, Akito yelled, "Get away from it! Use Mega Punch!" But Blastoise had no room to use the attack. It was held too close to Charizard, and was having a hard time just struggling to get away. Charizard flew up super high, spun around a few times, then dove down and slammed Blastoise so hard that a huge shockwave resounded. Everyone but Sora staggered back from the force emitted.  
As the dust cloud settled from the impact, both Blastoise and Charizard stood facing each other. Neither Pokémon looked injured, and they looked ready to continue battling.  
With a smirk, Akito called out, "Take down that wimp with Dragon Pulse!" Blastoise held out its cannons, and Charizard stood ready for its next order. But Sora did not utter a word, nor did he make a move. Only Rina and Prince Pewter saw why.  
"It's over." They said. At that moment, Blastoise's form reverted to how it normally was, and it collapsed.  
"Blastoise!" Akito cried out. But Blastoise had fainted.  
"Blastoise is unable to battle. Charizard wins!" the ref proclaimed, "And the victory goes to Guardian Sora!"

A massive cheer arose from the sidelines, both on land and sea. For Sora had won against the first Chieftain. As Charizard returned to normal, Sora fell to his knees in exhaustion. Pikachu jumped down from his shoulder, and looked up to his master in concern.  
But Sora assured it, "I'm alright." And as he stood up, Charizard and the crew came over to congratulate their guardian on a victory well earned. Yolanda even flung herself onto Sora, and kissed him on the cheek.  
"For my future husband." She whispered.  
When Rina saw Yolanda cling to Sora, her heart dropped into the pits. Would Sora love Yolanda more than her? Was it even worth trying to get close to Sora now? Rina felt unsure about what to feel now.  
"That was awesome!" Kari exclaimed.  
"So intense! Sora really knows how to pull out a win!" Sarah agreed, "Right Rina?" But Rina felt crestfallen. Suddenly, a tear came down her face.  
"Rina?" Kari inquired. But Rina took off before her sisters could ask more, weeping greatly.

Suddenly, Sora felt a sadness in his heart. A strong sorrow he did not understand, nor knew where it came from. He looked beyond his friends, out towards sea, and began to wonder if Rina had been watching him. If that was true, then why was he feeling sad?

"No bad Sora." Akito spoke as he and Blastoise approached the victor, "You really surprised me there, having Charizard Mega Evolve like that."  
"Mega Evolve?" Sora questioned.  
With a quick laugh, Akito chuckled, "You call upon such power, yet you don't know what it is? That is so like you Sora. But, it's something you'll need to discover on your own."  
Clearing his throat, he continued, "As Chieftain of Topaz Island, and as your rival, I present to you your first badge. Each badge you earn demonstrates something you have learned upon your victory. Having all eight will make you a true guardian. Today, you earned the Warrior Badge." And he presented to Sora a badge that looked like a star. Taking it proudly, Sora cried out,

"Alright! We got the Warrior Badge!  
"Pi Pikachu!"

Back at the _Aura_ , Rina was weeping against the wooden hull. He heart felt torn, and her feelings crushed.  
 _Why Sora?_ she thought, _Why?_ Kari and Sarah were sad to see Rina this way. They wanted to comfort her in some way, but they were unsure as to how they would.  
As they heard people begin to work up on the ship, Kari swam forward and spoke, "Let's go, Rina. Let's forget this ever happened." Wiping the tears away, Rina complied to the idea.  
But before the three could take off, they heard someone call out, "Look out below!" Suddenly, a dingy splashed down into the water next to the mermaid trio. When they saw who was in it, they found Pikachu and Sora.  
"Hope we didn't hurt anybody." Sora chuckled.  
"And why would you care if we're hurt?" Rina grumbled, not even looking at the guardian. Sora was somewhat taken back by her response, and wondered what might have made her turn so cold.  
"Rina, are you okay?" he asked in concern.  
"Why do you care? Don't you have some princess to attend to? Someone more important than a mermaid?"  
"Rina, what is up with you?" Kari inquired of her sister.  
"Yeah, what happened?" Sarah came in. It didn't take long for Sora to piece together what she was talking about.  
"Yolanda does that a lot with me whenever I make a big win against an opponent, mostly with Ragnar." he began to tell them, "I don't understand most of it yet, because she always catches me off-guard when she does it."  
"Yeah right." Rina huffed.  
"Rina, please, hear me out. While Yolanda may think one thing, I don't think the same way she does. Remember what I said when we explored Topaz Island? I want to see a dream of mine come true, in that everyone can be friends. And I wanted you, Kari, and Sarah to be a part of that dream. I meant it then, and I mean it now." With those words, Rina was reminded about how Sora treated her and her sisters. Again, she was reminded about how different Sora behaved around them, and how he was so friendly, understanding, and protective of them. He even enjoyed getting to know more about her after their last couple of meetings. Sure, he was betrothed to Princess Yolanda, but that was never on the forefront of his mindset. Rather, his focus seemed to be on them.  
Her mood softening at last, Rina turned and swam up to Sora and told him, "Congratulations on your win."  
"Yeah, congrats." Sarah chimed in, "And I was thinking you wouldn't win that one."  
"Thanks." Sora replied sheepishly, "But, it's just one victory of eight. I've still got a long way to go." He looked to his staff, which now had the Warrior Badge on it, and remembered, "Oh yeah! You guys can use this dingy to stay with us while we travel, if you want. I used to use this as a makeshift fort during my earlier travels. It's got tent supplies too, to keep you guys from being seen by everyone else." Kari and Sarah were about to refuse, until Rina pulled herself aboard. Seeing now way around it, the two were helped aboard as well.  
And as the anchor was weighed, Rina asked, "Where to next, Guardian Sora?"  
Facing out to sea, Sora told her, "Irk Island."

"I see." Said a man on the throne in Tyrannia to a crystal ball showing three shadowy figures, "So Sora has beaten the first Chieftain. Very well. Keep an eye on him and his crew, Jessica, Jameson, and Meowth."  
"Yes boss." The figures replied. And the crystal ball powered down.  
"What has happened father?" Ragnar spoke as he approached the man on the throne.  
As the man stroked his Persian, he told him, "Your rival, the guardian, has won against the first Chieftain. Which makes it interesting to see how far he goes."

Sora: One win down, seven more to go.  
Rina: Hey Sora, has Kari been acting funny lately?  
Sora: Not sure. But Drake has been acting weird too.  
Rina: Strange. I wonder.

Next time,  
The Stormstress

 **Phew! What a challenge. Not only did Sora have to beat Akito, his rival from childhood, but he also had to try and convince Rina that he still wanted her and her sisters to travel with him. Not exactly easy, even for a guardian.  
**

 **One badge down, seven more to go. And we get to see some more shadowy figures coming into play. Hmm. Curious.**

 **Well, till next time. And please answer that poll. I need to understand reader opinion and see where people stand between my two stories. Thank you!**


	8. The Stormstress

**And we're back. Before I begin my usual banter, I do want to remake my announcement from earlier. Like I had mentioned before, I want to know which story is more popular among you viewers. Which would you rather see more of? Vote now.**

 **With that done, we now get to see somebody else fall head over tail for a human. Though, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration in this case. Either way, you'll get to find out who else discovers our three unlikely stowaways.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its characters. They belong to Game Freak and Nintendo.**

 **Enjoy!**

Sora was up in the crow's nest with Pikachu, reveling in his first victory against the Chieftains, and against Akito. One badge earned, seven more to go. Sora was ecstatic! Pikachu shared his enthusiasm, bounding happily on the spire. But even in his self-celebration, Sora still pondered something that happened during the battle. When Charizard changed form, Sora felt a change in himself too. What had happened to him at that time? Ad why did Charizard not stay in that form? What was Mega Evolution? All these questions spiraled in Sora's head, making him nauseous.  
Deciding to not overthink it, Sora swung from his perch onto some railing above the sails. Hanging on to some rigging, he sung to himself:

 _I want to take the ultimate step  
Have the courage to be bold.  
To risk it all, and not forget,  
The lessons that I hold._

 _I wanna go where nobody's been  
Far beyond the crowd.  
Learn the way to take command  
Use the power that's in my hand._

As he was singing the chorus, Yolanda and her Fennekin came up on deck to find the guardian.  
When she eventually spotted him up on the sail, she called, "Hey Sora! Can you come down from there?"  
Upon hearing her, Sora called back, "Sure. Hold on." With the speed of a Greninja, and the playfulness of an Aipom, Sora leapt and slid his way down the rigging of the ship like it was his own personal jungle gym.  
Upon landing, not only did he scare Yolanda half to death, but Drake chastised, "I don't need you messing up my ship Sora. This isn't a jungle, you know." With a chuckle, Sora apologized for mistreating the _Aura_ like he did. But once that was done, Yolanda pulled Sora off to the side of the ship, where Rina was coincidentally relaxing in the waters around the _Aura_ herself.

"You know Sora," Yolanda started, petting her Fennekin, "That was a pretty impressive win you had against Akito."  
"Thanks." Sora returned, "But, that's just the first one so far. I've still got a lot of tougher battles out there to win. And they won't be as easy as Akito."  
"Was it even easy to begin with?"  
"Nope. But they will only get tougher. So I have to get stronger."  
"I see. Have you given anything else a lot of thought yet?" Sora was slightly startled by Yolanda's question, but then he realized what she meant.  
"Yolanda, now isn't the best time to think about the wedding you want." he responded, "I've got too much on my head as it is."  
"Which is why it would be a great escape." Yolanda tried to reason, "C'mon, in a short amount of time, I'll be of marrying age. You said you would serve me and my brother, right?" Down below, Rina grew worried as she eavesdropped. She had heard Sora say he served the prince since he saved his life. But was he really going to get married to the princess? Where would that leave her?  
"You know, a victory like yours deserves more than a kiss on the cheek." Yolanda hinted, taking Sora's hand, "I want to give you a proper victory kiss."  
"Princess, that's not—" Sora started to say. But Yolanda brought him closer to her without his knowing. Fennekin cheered its masters effort, while Pikachu looked quite puzzled by the gesture. But as Yolanda inched her face closer to Sora's, Rina decided she had seen enough. She brought out her tail as high as it would go, and made a huge splash up to the pair. Pikachu sensed this, and pushed Sora out of the way, leaving Yolanda and Fennekin to get wet.  
When Sora looked to his friends, he saw Yolanda looked distraught. She was drenched from head to hip, and her hair was a mess from being soaked. But the biggest concern for the guardian was Fennekin. It's fur was drenched and looked messy. It even had a piece of seaweed on its ear. Steamed from having its fur messed up, it scolded Pikachu fiercely.  
"Wait Fennekin! It's not our fault!" Sora tried to calm it down. But Fennekin didn't listen, and launched an Ember attack at Pikachu. Pikachu quickly dodged the attack, and it hit Sora instead.  
While Sora was coughing from the attack, Yolanda picked up Fennekin and chastised, "It serves you right. You remember Fennekin doesn't like getting its fur messed up."  
"How was I to know that there would be a wave like that coming up?!" Sora argued.  
"Your Pikachu seemed to have sensed it. Some guardian Pokémon, not protecting my little Fennekin." That comment really ticked Pikachu off, as it stood poised to use its Thunderbolt.  
But Sora stopped it by putting his hand out in front of it, and replying, "That was uncalled for. Even from you."  
"Whatever. I'm going to get myself and Fennekin cleaned up below deck." And she walked proudly away. As she did, Sora heard giggling coming from the water. When he looked over, he spotted Rina trying to stifle a laugh.  
"That wave was you?!" he gasped, keeping his voice low enough so only Rina could hear him.  
"Well, what'd you think it was? A Magikarp?" Rina teased.  
"Why'd you do that?! I could've gotten in trouble with the prince if things went out of control."  
"I was just playing around. Mermaids can be very playful, you know. And you shouldn't have stopped Pikachu from shocking her. She deserved a good shock, and a new hairdo."  
"You're reckless!"  
"And you're oblivious!"  
"I could've gotten in so much trouble!"

"Because of a little water?! Seriously Sora, what was the harm in that?!" The two stared daggers at each other for a little bit, then turned away furiously. With it, Sora made his way to his quarters, and Rina returned to the fort on the dingy.

Drake noticed Sora storm off in a huff, and was quite perplexed as to why. But he shook it off, figuring Sora was just having a tiff with Yolanda and was merely venting his anger. Besides, if it didn't concern him, and he didn't care otherwise. The day's tide was all that mattered, as the ship cut through the water with ease. Everything seemed peaceful along the waves, almost too peaceful. And that worried him. The waves were too calm and shallow. Something had to be coming.  
But he shook it off and barked, "First mate Kenneth!"  
Racing up to the wheel, Kenneth stood at attention and responded, "You called, captain?"  
"Take the wheel. Keep our present course." Drake ordered, "I'm going below to attend to private matters."  
"Aye aye sir." Kenneth saluted. Switching stations, Drake went to his private quarters.

In the captain's cabin, Drake let out a massive sigh as he set himself at his desk. Keeping up the facade of a hardy captain was strenuous for him, and often left him exhausted. No one else knew that Drake was not as strict as he is supposed to be, save for his own Pokémon. Sensing his inner struggle, Roselia came up onto his desk and began wafting a wonderful aroma throughout the room.  
Inhaling deeply, Drake sighed, "Thanks Roselia. Your Aromatherapy was just what I needed."  
"Roselia." The Rose Pokémon curtsied. With his mind refocused, Drake drew open his log, dipped his quill, and began to chronicle the journey he has had.

 _Captain's log Day 803  
Another crazy adventure has begun for the crew. This time, Guardian Sora has to accept the challenge of eight island Chieftains. So far, the guy has beaten the first one, who used something called Mega Evolution. Of which I have only heard rumors of its existence. Mega Evolution is supposed to strengthen a Pokémon further than normal, sometimes by changing type or ability. But you would need a pair of stones to be able to actually use it. Strangely, Sora's Charizard Mega Evolved too, and helped seize victory. But now, seven more Chieftains await the guardian. It shall be interesting how these next battles will go._

  
As he pondered what else to write, he found himself having trouble grasping anymore thoughts to add. Putting away his quill and log, he left his quarters for the deck.

Resting on her back, with her Squirtle snoozing beside her, Kari breathed in the bright day like a cup of hot milk. It was such a beautiful day today, and such wonderful waves followed along as well. It was a day Kari hoped would not be tarnished by anything.  
As she relaxed, Kari spotted one of the humans come up to the deck on her side of the ship. When she saw him, something made her heart do a flip in her chest. She remembered him to be Drake, the captain of the ship. The sight of him was puzzling to Kari. Why was she feeling so different? She had been around Sora, and nothing new went on there. But with this Drake fellow, she seemed to feel like her tail was gonna go crazy.  
On deck, Sparky brushed by Drake suddenly while trying to catch her Dedenne. Drake jumped on the railing to avoid them as they came back, but he lost his balance and began to fall towards the ocean.  
Shocked but ready, Kari commanded, "Squirtle, use Ice Beam to save that human!" Awakened and alert to the need, the turtle Pokémon leaped into the air and launched an Ice Beam. The attack created a sort of slide, catching Drake and sliding him along. It was then that Kari noticed that Squirtle was making a direct path… to her.  
"Wait, Squirtle, stop!" Kari panicked. Squirtle did, and Drake flew right into Kari and into the water.  
"Captain overboard!" Kenneth called out.

Underwater, both Kari and Drake were startled by the others presence. They stared at each other weirdly, their gazes locked. When Drake finally did break the connection, he looked down to find Kari's orange mermaid tail.  
Seeing the shock on his face, Kari tried to assure, "Wait, it's okay! I won't hurt you." Then, Drake's face began to turn blue as his not-so-full air supply began to run out. Realizing what was wrong, Kari ordered, "Squirtle, use Bubble!" Squirtle understood the command, and spewed bubbles over Drake until he was safely inside one.  
Taking a big breath of air, Drake interrogated, "Who are you?! And what do you intend to do with me?! Keep me prisoner?!"  
"Hey, I was saving you!" Kari said sternly, "You could at least have been a little more grateful."  
"Not when it's someone like you! Someone who brings disaster."  
"I don't bring disaster! I just sense when it comes."  
"You can sense it? What do you mean?"  
"I don't really know. It's just something I've had since I was born. When a storm comes, I receive some kind of warning. But, I don't really understand it myself." This caught Drake unawares. He had been led to believe that the beings like the one before him were dangerous to encounter. That any a good sailor who ran into one would be doomed to a watery grave. Most of the time, it was because of being drowned by them, or by a storm that they summoned. Yet, this one was saying she didn't bring storms. She only sensed when they would come. And he had been around long enough to tell when someone was lying.  
Losing his tough guy facade just a little, Drake told her, "I'm sorry. Guess I was listening to too many sailor's stories. Especially about… mermaids."  
"It's alright." Kari forgave, " I guess I should've known this would…" Just then, Kari's eyes glazed over.  
"What's wrong?" Drake asked, seeing the change in Kari's expression.  
"It's coming." She answered, "The storm is coming."  
"It is?!"  
"Straight ahead. And it's coming this way." With a gasp, Kari told Drake, "And it will destroy the ship! Drake, you have to warn the others!"  
"Hold up! How do you know who I am?! I don't even know you!"  
"I can't explain it all now. GO!" Deciding it was best not to argue, Drake burst out of his bubble and hastily swam for the ship.

Back on the _Aura_ , the crew searched frantically for their fallen captain. Sora had Staraptor and Squirtle scanning around, Prince Pewter had Swamert out to search, and Kenneth's Floatzel was busy scouring for their missing captain.  
"Any sign of the captain?" Sora asked as his Pokémon returned from searching. But both shook their heads in dismay.  
"Swampert hasn't found anything yet either." Prince Pewter informed the crew.  
"Well, we can't give up!" Kenneth told them, "We have to find the captain right away." Just then, Drake's head broke the surface some ways from the ship. Floatzel spotted him instantly, and rushed over to offer aid.  
As the captain rode Floatzel back, he called out, "Sora, Kenneth, furl the sails! A storm is heading our way!"  
Puzzled, Kenneth questioned, "How can there be a storm, captain? It's a crystal clear day."  
"It is rather odd that a storm would come on such a tranquil cruise." Opal commented.  
Climbing back on deck, Drake chastised, "No time for back talk Kenneth! Furl the sail and prepare for a storm now!" Kenneth was about to argue further, until Prince Pewter motioned them all to be quiet. In the water, Swampert's fins were quivering. Then, it swam out a ways and used Magnitude to create a huge splash.  
"A level 7 tempest." Prince Pewter evaluated.  
"Want to argue further?" Drake asked his first-mate.  
"Aye aye captain. Furling the sail!" Kenneth saluted grudgingly.  
As he and Drake went to work, Sora urged the others, "Wait below deck until the storm passes."  
"No way! I wanna help too!" Sparky refuted.  
"Me too! I want to help as well!" Yolanda added.  
"Guys, think about it." Cancer reasoned, "We don't really know how to run a ship or what to do in a storm at sea. We need to leave this to them and their Pokémon."  
"But—" Yolanda started.  
"Sister, they'll be fine." Prince pewter assured, "They'll make sure we get through this safely." She looked like she wanted to argue further, but she conceded defeat and went with the others below deck. As for Sora, he returned his Pokémon to his staff and rushed to prepare for the storm.

Down on the dingy, Rina was still fuming mad from earlier.  
"He's so oblivious!" she muttered angrily, "It's like he doesn't know anything! I swear, that girl could swipe his Pikachu with how ignorant he is!"  
"Sounds like someone is a little jealous." Sarah remarked slyly.  
"Me?! Jealous?! No way!" Sarah just chuckled, seeing her older sister get all red in the face. Just then, the dingy began to lift up from the water. Shocked out of her anger, Rina and Sarah overheard the captain order Sora to secure the dingy.  
"What's going on? Why are we going up?!" Sarah panicked.  
"Quick! Inside the tent." Rina ushered as they took refuge. Once the dingy stopped rising, Rina peeked out to find Sora tying off the lines for it, with help from Donphan and Infernape.  
"Sora, what's going on?" she asked quietly.  
Tying off the line, Sora answered, "A storm is coming. We're making sure the ship's ready to handle it. Is everyone inside?"  
"Dummy! Kari's not in here!" Sarah chastised, "Set us back down!" At that moment, Pikachu notified Sora that someone was in the water. And sure enough, when Sora looked to see who it was, there was Kari.  
"Hang on Kari!" Sora called discreetly, "I'll get you up here!"  
But then Drake ordered, "Sora, quit talking to the sea already! Brace the portholes below!" Grimacing, Sora wondered how he was gonna get Kari up now.  
"Sora, I'll be fine." Kari assured.  
"But Kari—" Rina was about to argue.  
"I think I can help you through this storm. I'll stay close. Do what you need to do." Understanding the situation, Sora complied and urged the other two mermaids to stay in the fort. With that all settled, everyone worked to prepare as storm clouds began to roll in.

When it hit, the storm threw huge waves at the _Aura_ , threatening to capsize the massive vessel. But the crew came prepared, and were ready to handle the tempest. Sora had his Aipom, Snivy, and Sceptile maintaining the ship and making sure everything stayed in place. Also, Pikachu stood at the top of the crow's nest, deflecting any lightning that would strike the ship. Kenneth had his Floatzel and Empoleon tow the ship wherever Drake commanded. And Drake sent out Flygon, hoping to use its Sandstorm to divert most of the wind and rain. Everything seemed to be holding up just fine thanks to their efforts, and escaped unscathed for most of the journey. But then, a fierce wave hit the hull, cracking it slightly.  
In response, Sora called out, "Froakie and Leavanny, patch the hull!" So Sora sent out Froakie, and a tall Pokémon that looked like it was wearing a tailor's suit made from leaves. The two went to work, using their sticky stuff to hold the wood together. The patchwork continued as more parts of the ship splintered and cracked from the force of the storm.  
With each repair being made, Kenneth felt less and less confident that they would make it. So did Drake. This storm was too strong to weather out. But they had no idea where to go through the wind and rain. But Drake wasn't willing to give up. The _Aura_ had suffered worse, and always came out in one piece. This would be no different.

Just then, Drake heard someone urge in his head, _Follow me._ The voice sounded so familiar to him. Why did it? And where did it come from? _Please Drake._ It pleaded again, _I can get you through this storm. You have to trust me. Please!_  
"Where are you?!" Drake shouted over the wind.  
 _I'm here. Find me Drake._ Then, as if his vision had been enhanced, Drake spotted a lone girl out among the roaring waves. It was the mermaid! The same one that warned him about this storm. _I can feel where the storm is weakest._ She told him.  
"I don't like this." Drake admitted, "But we have no other choice. Lead on, Stormstress."  
Gripping the wheel tighter, Drake changed course as he was led by his guide. Kari would signal when he should change direction, and Drake in turn would direct Kenneth to instruct his Pokémon likewise. Kenneth was both puzzled and surprised by Drake's commands, but Sora figured he was getting help from Kari. It had to be her.  
Suddenly, a massive wave rose over the starboard side, threatening to tip the ship over and ito the water.  
Reacting quickly, Drake called out, "Roselia, use Petal Dance!"  
"Sceptile, Solar Beam!" Both Roselia and Sceptile stood before the wave, and released their strongest attacks at it. The combined attacks pierced the wave, and dissipated its energy. So it crashed before it ever reached the ship.  
Then, Drake heard, _Up ahead. An island rests in the eye of the storm._ Seeing where his Stormstress was directing, Drake directed the ship for bright patch over an inlet. The crew did their best to keep the ship together, frantically tying knots, fixing any damage on the hull, or redirecting lightning strikes. But eventually, they arrived in safety.  
"We made it." Drake sighed.

The crew and their Pokémon were exhausted from the arduous work they endured, but rest had to wait. With the prince's help, along with his court, they began working on repairs that would not be temporary fixes. Cancer had even tried using a new invention of his to help in repairs, but it exploded in his face and he had to help by hand instead. Drake and Sora oversaw the effort, both relieved to have been saved from cataclysm.  
Yolanda then came up to the two, with Fennekin in her arms, and spoke, "Sora, I need to tell you and Pikachu something."  
"What is it, princess?" Sora asked.  
"I'm sorry. It wasn't right of me to be mad at you for what happened to Fennekin and me." She apologized, "And it was wrong for me to be mean to Pikachu. Please forgive us." Fennekin also asked for forgiveness, both bowing their heads in reconciliation.  
With a laugh, Sora replied, "It's okay. It's all water under the bridge."  
Returning to her cheery self, Yolanda gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and told him, "Thank you, my guardian." And she ventured off.  
"You are quite something Sora." Drake commented.  
Sheepishly, Sora replied, "Well, that's just how I roll." Then, a wave of water splashed over Sora and Pikachu from below. Drake took notice to this, and peered over the rail to see three girls, one being his mermaid. The water was shallow enough to where he saw that they were all mermaids.  
"What the-?! Mermaids?!" he exclaimed rather loudly, "There are merm—" But Sora clammed his mouth shut before everyone else heard him.  
Keeping his hand over Drake's mouth, Sora whispered, "It's okay. They're friends of mine."  
"Hmm?" Drake questioned, still muffled.  
"C'mon, I'll show you." Dragging Drake with him, Sora leaped over the side of the ship.  
With her Squirtle ready, Kari told it, "Use Ice Beam." And Squirtle happily saved the duo, and slid them down into the water with a big splash.  
"Who's the reckless one now?" Rina teased Sora as he splashed down with Drake.  
"Yeah. Sorry about that Rina." Sora apologized.  
"It's alright. Like you said: that tide has passed." Drake was dumbfounded by how calmly Sora was interacting with these mermaids.  
"I'm glad you're safe Drake." Kari spoke, scooting closer to him.  
Bewildered but quick to understand, Drake replied, "Thank you for guiding us."  
With a blush, Kari told him, "I don't really know why I did. I guess I just didn't want to see you hurt."  
"Or see us go down with them." Sarah pointed out grudgingly.  
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Drake asked.  
"Sorry Drake." Sora started, "Guess I have some explaining to do."  
Taking Kari's hand, Drake responded, "Why don't we let my Stormstress start. What's your name?"  
Her cheeks becoming rose-red, she told him, "Kari. My name is Kari." And thus, without the others knowing, the explaining began. 

Sora: I feel like someone has been following me lately.  
Rina: Sora! Look out behind you!  
Sora: Waah! Who's that?!  
Rina: I thought you would know. She's been following you for some time now.  
Sora: Strange. Who is she?

Next time,  
The Violet Orphan

 **Whelp, there you have it. One more for the crew. Hehe.**

 **See you guys next time.**


	9. The Violet Orphan

**Sorry this is late. Had some computer troubles earlier, and had to work them out. But now, we're back.**

 **And after introducing a new pair, we get to see a new face to the crew. Well, kinda. She was seen in the first chapter very briefly. Hope you got your peepers open, cause she is not one to be easily spotted.**

 **Also, I do not own Pokemon. Game Freak and Nintendo are the appropriate owners.**

 **And now, enjoy.**

Chapter 6:

The Violet Orphan

On a deserted island in the middle of the ocean, the crew of the _Aura_ were hard at work repairing the ship from the grueling storm the other day. However, repairs were not going well. Much of the wood was damaged so much that not even String Shot could patch up the holes in the hull. And part of the bow was bent from the heavy winds the group endured. All in all, it was going to take longer to repair the ship and make it sea worthy than previously anticipated.

Seeing the lack in progress and its causes, Drake called out, "Guardian Sora!"

Racing up to the captain, Sora asked, "What is it, Captain Drake?"

"I want you to go onto the island, and find lumber we can use to repair the ship until we can make port at a nearby island."

"Aye aye. But, what about the others? I told Tidus that I would continue his training today."

"That can wait. This is more prevalent. Now Go!" Without much choice, Sora dashed off for the island with Pikachu following close behind.

"Drake?" came a voice from the starboard stern. Drake went to peek over, and found his Stormstress in the water.

"Drake, have you seen Rina anywhere?" Kari asked, "She was supposed to help us find new Pokémon."

"Sorry Kari." Drake told her, "I haven't seen Rina since we officially met." Looking out to the island, Drake continued, "However, I have a hunch I know exactly where she is."

As Prince Pewter observed his Onix help in lifting timber to Pokémon on the deck, he spotted Guardian Sora race off for the island forest. No doubt Sora was running an errand for Drake, but Prince Pewter could not help feel like something was wrong. Sora had been a bit distant with Yolanda, and seemed to have drifted further away since the tempest in Aurora. Not only that, but he had often seen Sora stare down into the sea. All these actions made Prince Pewter uneasy.

Sensing his need, Violet appeared behind him soundlessly.

"Follow Sora, and keep an eye on him." He instructed, "Make sure nothing happens to him."

"Understood, your Highness." Violet replied. And she vanished into the woods. But Prince Pewter still felt uneasy.

The woods seemed very foreign to Sora and Pikachu, and yet somewhat familiar. The woods were teeming with Pokémon, including Seedot, Fletchling, Caterpie, Vigoroth, Geodude, and various others. This was a home for all these Pokémon, so Sora knew to leave these trees be. To find timber for the ship, he would need to look elsewhere. But where to look?

After venturing a bit of a ways in, the two ran into a freshwater stream in the middle of the woods. Immediately, Pikachu went up to it and began drinking. Sora tested the water, and found it to be perfect for drinking. So he brought out his water sack, and began filling it with water for the crew. Things went on rather calmly, until Pikachu's ears perked up. And Sora knew it was detecting something.

"What is it buddy?" he asked his companion. Then Pikachu did a really weird thing. It submerged its tail in the water, and perked up with its ears high in the air. Sora had never seen Pikachu do something like this before, but he figured it couldn't be good. So he readied his staff in case of a confrontation with a wild Pokémon. For a moment, all was still, and only the sound of leaves rustling in the wind could be heard. But then, Pikachu let out a squeal of delight as it felt someone petting its tail.

"Hey Sora." Rina spoke as she surfaced. Her voice startled Sora so much that he tripped and fell back into the stream. Shooting up, Sora gasped from his accident as he spotted his mermaid next to Pikachu.

"Next time, let's meet when I'm not on my guard." Sora told her. Rina just giggled, while Pikachu shook its head in embarrassment.

"So, you're looking for some wood to repair your ship?" Rina asked after Sora told her what they were up to.

"That's what I'm tasked with." Sora replied, "But, I can't just take any lumber here. Much of it is home to all these Pokémon. I need to find lumber that won't bother them."

"Well, I did some exploring earlier, and saw a lot of Fighting-type Pokémon practicing on trees further in. We could ask to use the wood they have."

"It's worth a shot." Rising up, Sora prepared to venture on. But he quickly stopped and remembered, "Oh yeah. I probably should let out Torterra again, so you can come on land."

"That won't be necessary." Rina replied, "This stream actually leads to where we're going."

"Alright then, let's go!" Sora ushered. And the two plus Pikachu began making their way upstream. And bounding as silently as a shadow behind them, Violet kept a close eye on them. Especially the girl in the water.

For a good portion of the walk, things were going smoothly. Sora and Rina spotted more Pokémon as they ventured further into the island. There were Ursaring tending Teddiursa, packs of Houndour racing about, nests of Beedrill and Vivillon dotted some of the trees, and even the river was filled with Stunfisk, Tympole, and Ducklett. The diversity of the forest's inner sanctum was astounding. And both the guardian and mermaid were completely amazed by it.

Then, the two heard smashing and grunting further ahead. The sound of Fighting Pokémon.

"We're almost there." Sora pointed out. Rina was happy that they almost arrived, but then she felt something in the air. A disturbance of sorts. And it had been following them for some time.

"Hey Sora," Rina called to get his attention, "You go on ahead and get the lumber for your ship. I need to do something really quick." Sora was about to ask what, but he opted against it. He figured Rina had her reasons.

So he replied, "Alright. Meet you up ahead." And he and Pikachu continued.

Steeling herself for a confrontation, Rina tapped her pearl and called out, "Staryu, use Rapid Spin on the tree!" Immediately, a starfish Pokémon with a red orb in its center appeared and spun like a shiruken towards a tree. Upon impact, a girl in a purple, ninja outfit came out and collapsed to the ground.

"I thought someone had been tailing Sora and me." Rina spoke to the new stranger, "Who are you?!"

Quickly getting up, the ninja replied, "I could ask you the same thing."

"I am Rina. A friend to Sora and a daughter of the sea." Rina told her follower.

"Name's mean nothing to my prince. I am charged to protect Sora from anyone seeking to harm him. Including strangers like you."

"You will not heed the truth of my words?"

"I see no reason to trust a deceiver's tongue. Emolga!" Revealing a violet Pokéstone, the ninja summoned an Electric Pokémon with wings under its arms.

"Staryu, at the ready!" Rina commanded. And the two battlers braced for combat.

Meawhile, Sora had arrived at what looked like a training ground. The trees of the forest surrounded a clearing where various Fighting Pokémon were training on downed logs and smashing rocks. A couple of Breloom were practicing their punch techniques with a Monferno, Machoke helped some Pangoro with Karate Chop, and a Medicham was teaching Gurdurr Focus Blast. When all the Pokémon noticed Sora enter the training grounds, they all stopped.

"Uh, hi." Sora spoke nervously, "Do you have some spare timber I could use?" None of the Pokémon responded. Then, a Hawlucha with glowing, magenta wings soared into the grounds, and sized up Sora very quickly.

"Haw! Lucha!" it told him, spreading its arms out.

"You wanna battle?" Sora figured out, "You got it. Let's go!"

"Emolga, Discharge!" Emolga released arcs of electricity out everywhere, with some nearing Staryu.

"Staryu, dodge and use Swift!" Rina called out. Staryu spun out of the way, then released shining stars from its center at Emolga. The little flying squirrel Pokémon attempted to dodge the attack, but Swift nailed its target like it always did. But Emolga remained airborne, seemingly unaffected by the attempt.

"Now, Hidden Power!" the ninja shouted. So Emolga released released three orbs of energy straight at Staryu.

"Knock them back with Rapid Spin!" Spinning in a blur, Staryu swatted away the attack with relative ease. "Now use Water Gun!" A jet of water shot out from the tip of one of Staryu's ends, and up towards Emolga. But it barely wormed itself out of harm's way of the attack. Emolga cringed at how badly it was losing, especially to a Pokémon it was strong against.

"Impressive." the ninja spoke to Rina, "I will admit that you are stronger than I previously thought."

"You aren't too bad yourself." Rina acknowledged, "Now will you heed my words?"

"Never! For I haven't revealed my true strength." Rina did not like the sound of that. If this ninja had been holding back, then this battle was about to take a sour turn, very quickly.

"Emolga, launch Attract!" Rina was very surprised by the command. Then, Emolga winked hearts towards Staryu, which caused it to sway back and forth. It had been infatuated. Now Rina really didn't like this. "Now, Discharge!" Emolga let loose arcs of electricity, and nailed Staryu directly. The blast knocked it back, and into Rina. The impact knocked her somewhat out of the water, and knocked the tiara she had off of her too.

When the shadow warrior saw the tiara, she accused, "That's Princess Yolanda's tiara!" Rina quickly took notice to Sora's gift to her, and tried to grab it. But then, a green streak snatched it away, and dashed over to Violet.

"Axew." The little tusk Pokémon offered as it became visible.

"Well done Axew." the ninja petted, then she scolded, "Thievery is the worst crime you could ever commit, scum. And I shall punish you!"

"I didn't steal it!" Rina defended, "It was a gift from—"

"Emolga, Hidden Power!" Emolga launched the energy orbs once more, and blasted Staryu to the ground. The orb in its center began to flash, signaling that it was low on power. "Now to end this! Discharge!" As Emolga readied its electric attack, Rina put herself over Staryu and braced for the end.

But then, "Quilava, intercept with Aerial Ace!" And a Quilava darted in front of Emolga, making it lose its concentration and fail to launch the attack. Both the ninja and Rina watched as it returned to its master, and found Sora standing in the sidelines.

"That's enough!" he scolded, "This battle is over!" Immediately, the young warrior went over and bowed to Sora.

"Master Sora, I am Violet." She introduced, "I was tasked with following and protecting you by the prince."

"Violet?" Sora muttered, " Hey wait, I remember you. You were that orphaned girl Prince Pewter took in as his personal ninja." And Sora remembered their first meeting.

 _It was in the first year that Sora went into service for Prince Pewter. He and Pikachu were patrolling the beach for a training spot, as well as clearing the way for people to travel to other towns for trade. Along the way, he heard a girl crying somewhere. Pikachu's ears twitched at the sound until they picked up where it was coming from. So Pikachu led Sora past a rock, and found a young girl with huge, purple hair and a tattered warrior's tunic._

 _"Are you alright?" Sora asked her. Looking up, the girl spotted Sora standing over her._

 _Afraid, she responded, "Who are you?"_

 _"I'm Sora." He introduced, "And this is my partner Pikachu."_

 _"Pikachu." The little electric mouse chirped._

 _"What's your name?"_

 _Wiping away her tears, the girl told him, "I'm Violet. I'm training to become a ninja."_

 _"Wow! A ninja?" Sora beamed, "That is so cool!"_

 _"Only a little kid would get so excited over something I'm not." Violet said dejectedly._

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"I've been training since I was very little to be a great ninja master. You see, I'm an orphan. I don't really know who my parents were, or what happened to them. I found out about ninja's from a few scrolls I found, and decided to become the best ninja in the world. But, I fail every time I try. I'm useless!"_

 _Taking a seat next to her, Sora comforted, "Don't say that. No one is useless. And I like the kind of dream you have. Becoming a ninja must mean a lot to you. But you can't just give up." Violet didn't respond._

 _Then an idea came to Sora. "I know!" he shot up, "Let me train you to become a ninja."_

 _"How?" Violet quizzed._

 _"Well, I learned a little about ninjas from my travels. I could teach you what I know. And, I could take you to meet Prince Pewter. I bet he'd love having a ninja in his court."_

 _"The prince?!" Violet asked, "I don't know."_

 _Offering his hand, Sora said, "Give it a try. And I'll help." Violet looked to Sora's hand, wondering if he could really help her achieve her dream. She looked to his Pikachu, who nodded at her to take it. So, though still unsure, Violet took Sora's offer._

"After that, Prince Pewter gave you Axew and your very own Pokéstone." Sora recollected, "And you became his personal ninja bodyguard."

"Indeed. All thanks to you." Violet acknowledged.

"So, what are you doing following me here?" Sora asked.

Presenting Yolanda's tiara, Violet explained, "I was battling this deceiver when she dropped this. She has committed great crimes not only against you, but against the royal family too."

"I told you, I didn't steal it!" Rina declared.

"Silence thief! Master Sora will deal punishment to you for your crime." Handing the tiara to Sora, Violet watched as he took it and walked over to Rina. She could just envision the guardian scolding her, then giving her a strong Thunderbolt to get his message across. But, to her surprise, Sora knelt down to Rina's level and fitted the tiara in her hair.

"To remember our promise." He told her. As Quilava and Pikachu went over to them, Violet, Emolga, and Axew were shocked that Sora didn't punish her.

"But-but-but…" Violet stuttered.

"Violet, Rina is a friend." Sora explained, "I gave her the tiara as a gift back on Topaz Island. It's part of our promise to see each other again."

"But she's a mermaid!" Violet argued, "Mermaids deceive people and drown them and—"

"She saved me when I nearly drowned during that tempest in Aurora. Now leave her be!" And Violet shut herself up after that.

Just as Sora returned Quilava to his staff, Rina grimaced when she tried pulling herself up to check on Staryu.

"You're hurt." Sora noticed.

But Rina replied, "It's alright. I'll be fine." Not convinced, Sora helped ease Rina's tail onto land, and saw that the joint to her fins was bruised.

"Rina, with that bruise, you can barely swim. Let me tend to it for you." Then he pulled from his medicine pouch some blue paste, and began applying it to the injured area. Sometimes, the procedure caused Rina to grimace from the bruise flaring up. But she bore with it as Sora did what he needed to do. And before long, Sora had finished applying the paste.

"Now Pikachu, use a small Thundershock to start the paste." Weakening its attack to the bear minimum, Pikachu sent arcs of tiny bolts into the paste, which began to glow and meld into Rina's tail. Before long, Rina's tail felt a lot better.

"If you ask me, she deserved to be hurt." Violet scoffed.

As he tended to reviving Staryu, Sora responded, "That's enough out of you."

"What a little kid!" Violet huffed, then called out, "Emolga return!" And Emolga returned to her Pokéstone. Then Axew disappeared into Violet's hair, and she leaped into a nearby tree.

Before she left, Sora told her, "Violet, don't tell anyone about Rina. When the time comes, I'll reveal her to everyone. But not now."

"I'll keep her identity a secret out of respect for you." Violet replied. Then she disappeared with nary a sound to be heard.

"Sora, what about the lumber you need?" Rina asked when she was gone.

With a grin and a wink, Sora replied, "Taken care of. It's already at the _Aura_ even as we speak." Then, Sora splashed water over Staryu, and it bolted up, re-energized.

"That's great!" Rina beamed.

"Yep. And I got a new friend too." Sora replied as he grabbed his staff.

"A new friend?"

"Yeah. I'll show him to you the next time we meet. For now, we'd better get back to everyone."

"Right."

As Rina returned Staryu to her pearl, Sora laced his pinky finger with Rina's and asked, "Promise?"

"Pika?" Pikachu mimicked. In response, Rina gave Sora a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered, "Promise." And she disappeared downstream.

True to Sora's word, the Fighting Pokémon had hauled the lumber to the _Aura_. They even helped chop them so they could be applied appropriately to the damaged parts of the ship. Drake made sure everything went as they should, but was astounded by how much help they were getting. With so much lumber, he even began having an idea for what to add to the ship. An idea that would benefit his Stormstress and her sisters.

When the repairs had been accomplished, and spare lumber had been stored away, Drake gave the command to weigh anchor and make for the open sea. Everyone waved good-bye to their new friends on the island, and hoped they could meet again. And with that, everyone left the island in high spirits.

Later that afternoon, Prince Pewter was staring off the starboard side towards the setting sun.

Then, Violet dropped down behind him, as soundless as ever, and told him, "I have something to report, my prince."

Worried, Prince Pewter asked, "Is it about Sora?"

"Not this time. But, we have special 'guests' following us on this journey."

"'Guests?!'" Now Prince Pewter was really worried.

 **Sora: Silver Island. It's been a while.**

 **Rina: What do you mean?**

 **Sora: This was where I met a very good friend.**

 **Rina: A very good friend?**

 **Next time,**

 **The Rock Child**


	10. Chapter 7: The Rock Child

**Howdy do fellas! Welcome back. Hope you guys are ready for a couple familiar faces, because this chapter is gonna have plenty. If you are wondering who's been missing, you can check the cast list at the beginning to double check.**

 **Actually, sidenote: I'm sorry if it is hard to imagine the Pokemon cast in these new roles. Believe me, I'm not trying to make anything OOC here. This was just some idea I had a couple years ago that I wanted to write and share out. I made the cast list to help, but I understand if there are still some issues. Still, if you guys are having problems enjoying the story, PM me and we can talk it out.**

 **On a more cheery thought, we get to see a favorite Pokemon come aboard the crew. Who could it be? Let's read on and find out.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its material (characters, settings, etc). All rights to Nintendo, Game Freak, and related parties.**

Chapter 7:

The Rock Child

Guest stars:

Professor Elm as Elder Elm

"Land ho!" Kenneth shouted in the early dawn, "Silver Island off the port bow." Rushing up on deck, Sora and Tidus spotted a massive island off in the distance. Silver Island; a mountainous landscape peaked by Mt. Silverhead, with forests dotting the landscape around it. This was where Drake planned to make land to fix up the ship.

"Is that the island you went to on your journey before master?" Tidus asked eagerly.

"That's right Tidus." Sora responded as Pikachu groggily clambered onto his shoulder, "This was it."

"Alright!" the apprentice cheered, "I'll bet there will be a lot of Rock and Steel types on that island."

"You bet." Sora told him, "More than you can imagine." And Sora breathed in the familiar air as they headed right for it.

 _I wonder if he is still there._ Sora thought, _And I wonder how he's been since we last met._

Then, behind the two eager warriors, Yolanda announced, "An island of royalty should be met in equal by royalty." Turning around, the two boys spotted her in one of her fancier dresses. An amber-orange, sleeveless gown accompanied by a tiara with a crystal-red gemstone. When she came up to them, Tidus started to burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?!" Yolanda asked sternly.

With a small chuckle, Sora explained, "Princess, Silver Island is a mining island. People here mine for ore, gems, and other things. I'm surprised you got dressed like that."

"Why didn't you tell me?!" she gasped.

"We still have time before making landfall." Prince Pewter came over, "Go get changed, sister. It shouldn't take you long." Not even arguing, Yolanda rushed off to get changed.

Overhearing the whole scene, the three mermaids chuckled quietly in their fort.

"A mining island, huh?" Sarah pondered, "Too bad for you two. It probably doesn't even have streams or rivers running through it. So you can't be with your humans this time."

"Except Drake won't be exploring." Kari cleverly countered, "He has to oversee the ship's repairs. And I'll be with him."

"Lucky." Sarah grumbled, but then pointed out, "But Sora just might venture inland. Too bad Rina."

"Like humans say:" she said in a determined manner, "Where there's a will, there's always a way."

"Am I the only one with any sense around here?! You both have gone head over tail for humans you can't even be with!"

"Can't we?" both girls replied. And Sarah simply groaned.

Upon landfall, the entire crew had to disembark so Drake and Kenneth could work on repairs for the _Aura_. The initial part of the town seemed more like an art show than a miner's camp. Various stalls dotted the place, every one of them displaying little figurines, jewelry made of precious metals, and stones in various forms of art. Yolanda immediately went around, gazing at them all in amazement; Tidus and Opal browsed around the figurines; Prince Pewter asked around for info while Teller transcribed it all, and Cancer kept trying to restrain Sparky from approaching some of the girls around town, and Tidus and Teller did likewise with Prince Pewter.

Sora ventured to the town square, where a huge statue of a Tyranitar stood powerfully in the center fountain.

Pikachu looked up at it, then spoke, "Pi Pika. Pi Pi Pikachu. Pika?"

"Yep. It has been a while." Sora replied, "So many years since we helped him back then."

Suddenly, somebody called out, "Somebody, help! Catch that Larvitar!" Taking notice, Sora spotted someone chasing something green and rocky throughout the town. And they were coming straight for them! Then, the Pokémon shot into the air, and Sora caught it in his arms.

When the small rock looked up at Sora, it smiled and spoke, "Lar! Larvitar!"

"Pika Pikachu?!" Pikachu gasped.

"Wait, are you—" Sora spoke, alarmed.

"Sora? Is that really you?" came a boy's voice. When Sora looked up, he found the boy panting in front of him. He had a mop of hair around his head, and wore a red headband. His green tunic was covered in dirt and rocks, and he wore short-pants and sandals.

As the realization dawned on him, Sora gasped, "Sketch?!"

"Wow, it is you!" Sketch beamed, "No wonder Larvitar went crazy coming here. It must have sensed you arriving."

"Wow! Even after all this time, you still remember me, huh old friend?"

"Lar." Wondering what went wrong, Tidus and Yolanda came up to the two boys with worried expressions.

"Sora, are you alright?!" Yolanda inquired urgently.

"My master is fine princess." Tidus mumbled, then beamed, "But look at the Pokémon he's holding! Is that a Larvitar?"

Yolanda quickly noticed the little Rock-type in Sora's arms, and said endearingly, "Aw! Isn't he the cutest?" The moment she approached it, Larviatar tensed up and froze. This action puzzled Yolanda and Tidus. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Maybe you scared it." Tidus offered obnoxiously.

"It's not that." Sora explained, "Larvitar has just had some bad experiences with humans before, so it hardens whenever someone besides me approaches it."

"It has been getting better." Sketch stated, "But new faces often make it rather timid."

"I get it." Tidus pondered, "So it's like a defense mechanism." Approaching it carefully, Tidus spoke, "Hi Larvitar. My name's Tidus, and I'm Sora's apprentice," Larviatar didn't harden up this time, but instead closed its eyes and lowered its head. Sensing trouble, Pikachu quickly covered its ears.

"Uh oh!" Sora and Sketch cringed as they covered their ears. Yolanda and Tidus were puzzled by their actions. What was everyone so worried about?

And then, Larvitar screeched out, "LAAAAARRRR!" The Screech attack was so loud that everyone within miles tried blocking out the sound. Yolanda and Tidus's faces contorted in agony at the loud noise.

"OW! MY EARS!" Yolanda screamed.

"WHY IS IT USING Screech ATTACK?!" Tidus inquired loudly.

"IT"S ANOTHER DEFENSIVE MECHANISM!" Sketch shouted, "LARVITAR WILL USE Screech IF IT FEELS THREATENED!"

"PIKA!"

Cradling Larvitar with both hands, Sora soothed, "It's okay Larvitar. No one is going to hurt you. I'm here." As Sora rocked Larvitar gently back and forth, the tyke settled down and stopped using Screech. Everyone sighed with relief that it had quieted down.

"Leave it to the apprentice to scare a child." Yolanda mumbled.

"Hey, I was just saying hi." Tidus grumbled back. The noise did attract the attention of the other crew members, as they came rushing over to where the commotion was.

"Is everyone alright?" Prince Pewter asked.

"Well, my ears hurt. But I'm okay." Yolanda responded.

"What made that really loud cry?" Sparky inquired, "It hurt even Dedenne's ears."

"Hey Sora, is that a Larvitar you're holding?" Cancer wondered, noticing the new Pokémon Sora held.

"Yep. This is an old friend of mine."

"Wow! A Larvitar!" Opal beamed.

"You don't normally see those too often." Teller discussed, "Don't Larvitar usually live with their mothers?"

"Normally." Sketch came in, "But this one likes to visit town a lot. It also seemed to sense that Sora was here, so it came by today."

"And, who are you?" Prince Pewter wondered to this new figure.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Sketch. I'm a Pokémon watcher."

"Pokémon watcher?" everyone wondered aloud.

"He draws pictures of Pokémon he encounters." Sora elaborated, "And chronicles them for people like Elder Oak."

"I see." Cancer commented, "Very intriguing."

"Well, either way, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Sketch." Prince Pewter greeted as he shook hands, "I am Prince Pewter, from Aurora."

"I'm Opal, his top chef."

"I'm Teller, his scribe."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Cancer. The girl with the Dedenne is my little sister, Sparky."

"Nice to meet you."

"Denne."

"I'm Sora's apprentice, Tidus."

"Very nice to meet all of you." Sketch responded, then asked Yolanda, "What about you?"

"I'm Princess Yolanda. I'm Sora's betrothed."

"B-Betrothed?!"

"It's a long story." Sora admitted sheepishly, then informed, "I'm gonna go somewhere to introduce Larvitar to all my new Pokémon."

"Wait Sora! Elder Elm and Tyranitar are coming down to check on Larvitar." Sketch warned.

"I'll be back soon. Don't worry. Come on Pikachu." And they raced off.

"Now you're making me worried."

On a nearby beach dotted with huge stones, Sora set Larvitar down as he prepared his staff.

"Alright Come one out!" he summoned. And from his staff came Swellow, Sceptile, Krookodile, Gible, Froakie, and a new addition: Hawlucha.

"Everyone." Sora told them, "I want to introduce you to an old friend. This is Larvitar. Say hi." All the Pokémon cheered hi to the new face, but Larvitar looked shy to respond back. Pikachu tried to comfort it, and it eventually said hi. Suddenly, Gible raced over to where Larvitar stood, and leaped up with its massive jaw wide open. But then, Krookodile snapped down on Gible's fin, and held it there as it tried to squirm out of its maw.

"Easy guys." Sora advised, "Larvitar's a little shy when meeting new faces. That's why I'm introducing everyone slowly, and in groups of six." Froakie quickly understood, and approached Larvitar slowly. It held out its hand for the tyke to take, and Larvitar did.

Sceptile followed a similar strategy. It approached slowly, and lowered itself until it was eye level with Larvitar. Depite its intimidating gaze, Larvitar leapt onto Sceptile, startling the gecko Pokémon a bit. But it was clear that they had become friends.

Krookodile gave a thumbs up as his greeting, while still keeping a firm grip on Gible's fin. When Larvitar approached Hawlucha, it spread its wings out proudly, scaring the rock child. Froakie chastised Hawlucha on the behavior, and started an argument between them. Swellow, however, kept its greeting mellow and just gave a hello. Sighing with relief, Sora and Pikachu were glad Larvitar wasn't hardening up or using Screech.

Having spotted the party on the coast, Rina hid among the rocks as she spied on Sora and his Pokémon. That was when she noticed Larvitar among them, though she didn't know it was a Larvitar. But the way she saw Sora interact with it, it was like the young Pokémon was a child he was caring for. The way he acted was so tender and loving, like that of a parent. Rina began to admire this other side to him.

While she was fixated on him, her pearl flashed as Psyduck appeared behind her. The dopey Pokémon held its head, and tilted it as it stared into space blankly. But its sudden appearance irritated Rina.

"Psyduck!" Rina scorned quietly, "Why do you never stay in the pearl like you are supposed to?"

"Psy." Psyduck quacked. As a wave came up to them, it lapped over Psyduck's webbed feet. The sudden appearance of water shocked the duck Pokémon, and it ran towards Sora's group.

"Psyduck! Wait!" Rina called to it. The call caught Sora's attention, and he spotted Psyduck race towards them. Finally wriggling free, Gible descended onto Psyduck and chomped on his noggin.

Frantically, Sora scolded, "Gible, no! Let go!" He tried prying Gible off of Psyduck, but was having no success in the effort. Then, Psyduck's eyes glowed a blue-hue as it stopped squawking and flailing. A blue outline surrounded Gible and Sora as they were lifted up by Confusion. Then, Sora was set down beside his Pokémon while Gible was plopped face-first into the sand, and Psyduck's eyes returned to normal.

Dumbfounded, Sora wondered, "What just happened?"

"Sorry Sora." He heard Rina call from the ocean's direction. And then he saw her hunkered down behind a rock.

Elated, Sora called back, "Hey Rina."

"Pika!" Pikachu called as it ran over to her.

As Pikachu leaped into her arms, Rina greeted, "Hiya Pikachu. Did you miss me?"

"Pikachu." The electric mouse nodded happily.

Back in town, Sketch had finished recalling to Sora's crew about the guardian's adventure with Larvitar.

As he finished, Tidus beamed, "Wow! My master is even cooler than I imagined!"

"So he actually recovered Larvitar as an egg, and hatched it?" Teller inquired, transcribing what he was told to one of his scrolls.

"Yep. He sure did." Sketch confirmed.

"But how did Larvitar recover if it hatched in such a bad state?" Yolanda asked.

"That's the wonder about Sora. He used as many of his Fire Pokémon as he could, and worked to provide as much heat as possible. Eventually, We got them to Elder Elm to help him warm Larvitar back to health."

"Wow! So cool!" Sparky cheered.

"You're forgetting that Sora did most of the work already." Came a young man's voice. Coming up to the group, accompanied by a gigantic, real Tyranitar, was a middle-aged man in a brown robe with only a crop of hair on his head, and wore spectacles.

"Hello everyone." He greeted.

"Greetings Elder." Sketch returned, then he introduced, "Everyone, this is Elder Elm. He keeps watch on the Pokémon here on Silver Island. He was even a apprentice to Elder Oak."

"You were an apprentice too?!" Tidus and Sparky gasped.

"That's correct. And I heard from my old master that you are an apprentice to Sora as well, Tidus."

"How'd you hear that?" he asked. To answer, Elder Elm held up a Pidgey on his arm, with a tiny messenger's satchel tied to its back.

Admiring the behemoth Pokémon that came with Elder Elm, Prince Pewter inquired, "So this is a Tyranitar, right Elder?"

"That's right." Elder Elm explained, "This is Larvitar's mother. She came down the mountain to check up on Larvitar."

"Yeah. That might be a problem now." Sketch shrugged nervously.

With a chuckle, Elm assured, "It's quite alright. I'll bet that it's with Sora right now."

"And you'd guess right." Prince Pewter affirmed.

"Well, let's look for him together. I heard Sora's battling the Eight Island Chieftains. I wonder how he's done so far."

Meanwhile, back on the beach, Sora and Rina were introducing their new Pokémon to each other. Sora had introduced Rina to his new team member, Hawlucha. And Rina was just finishing up in introducing her Psyduck to him.

"Psyduck can't swim? Seriously?!" Sora asked.

"Yeah." Rina sighed dejectedly, "But I didn't really know it had so much power. I've only seen it use Psychic-type attacks one other time, and that was with Kari's Squirtle using Bite."

"Interesting."

Returning her Psyduck to her pearl, Rina inquired, "So what's the other Pokémon that looks like a living rock?"

"Oh, that's Larvitar." Sora told her.

"Larvitar?"

"Yeah. It was a Pokémon I helped back when I first journeyed the world. It had been kidnapped by poachers, and I fought to return it to its mother."

"That's amazing Sora!"

"Hang on. Let me introduce you to him." Turning to his Pokémon, who were playing around in the sand, Sora called, "Larvitar. I want you to meet someone." Larvitar did not hesitate in racing over to Sora. It climbed onto the rock he was sitting on, and rested happily in his lap.

"Larvitar, I want you to meet Rina." He introduced, "She's a mermaid, and a really great friend." Larvitar stared at the new figure, puzzled. When it saw her mermaid tail, Larvitar wondered who this new person was.

"Nice to meet you, Larvitar." Rina greeted cheerfully. But then, Larvitar hardened again.

"Sorry." Sora spoke to make amends, "Larvitar does that sometimes when it meets new people."

"I see." Rina pondered, "Maybe this could help." Taking a deep breath, Rina began to sing.

 _A twinkle in the night sky, far far away._

 _A golden star I gaze upon in my dreams._

 _On a sleepless evening, I sing along._

 _Tomorrow I'll sing with you. On the wings of a dream._

 _On a sleepless evening, I sing along._

 _Tomorrow I'll sing with you. On the wings of a dream._

As Rina finished singing, she noticed Larvitar wasn't hardening anymore. It had actually walked over to her, and was smiling. It motioned to her that it wanted to be picked up, which Rina happily did, and set it down on her lap. Sora was quite surprised. Normally, it took a lot longer for Larvitar to open up to other people. But he was happy Larvitar was being open to Rina.

Just then, a rocking explosion sounded behind them as smoke billowed out from the sparsely wooded area behind them. Acting on instinct, Sora grabbed his staff and stood before the smoke, ready for a fight.

"Who's there?!" he demanded. Then, three figures became visible in the smoke. Two wore black robes with spikes on their shoulders, meaning they were from Tyrannia. The third looked to be a Pokémon, with a gold charm on its forehead.

 _Prepare for trouble, you guardian knave!_

 _Make it double, what can you save?_

 _To protect the world from devastation._

 _To unite all people within our nation._

 _To denounce the evils of truth and love._

 _To extend our reach to the stars above._

 _Jessica!_

 _Jameson!_

 _The kingdom of Tyrannia sets off with speed and might!_

 _Surrender now, or prepare to fight!_

 _Meowth, that's right!_

Sora growled as the trio finished their little introduction. He had already encountered enough people from Tyrannia to know that these people weren't friendly. But what were they doing here? Did they serve Ragnar?

"No applause for that magnificent performance?" the blue-haired man, Jameson, asked to no one in particular.

"What a bore!" the woman with the long, magenta hair, Jessica, sighed in a bored manner, "Kids today have no sense of artistic flair."

Immediately, Rina tried returning to the sea to hide. But was stopped when a crackly voice shouted, "Don't bother tryin' ta hide from us, twerpette! We knows you're a mermaid already. Ya can't hide tha' from us." That was when they realized that the one talking, other than the two humans,… was Meowth.

"A talking Meowth?!" Sora and Rina exclaimed. Pikachu stood before the Tyrannia goons, sparks coming out of its cheeks. It looked ready to battle, with a fierce gaze in its eyes.

"Pikachu!" It roared angrily.

"Quit yer blatherin'! Your comin' wit us." Creating gestures with their hands, Jessica and Jameson muttered an incantation that sounded dark and ominous. As they did, Pikachu was lifted into the air, and rocketed towards the trio. Then, a dark orb encased it in the air.

"Pikachu!" Sora called.

"What are you doing with Sora's Pikachu?!" Rina demanded.

While Pikachu tried using Thunderbolt to break out of its prison, Jessica explained, "Keep up, fish girl. We know this guardian is battling the Eight Island Chieftains. If he succeeded in beating them all, he would become unstoppable to all others, including our emperor."

"But more than that," Jameson carried on, "His Pikachu is of a rare kind. Bringing it to the emperor, and turning it into the prince's own dark Pokémon would give us the victory to crush the twerp, and his prince, and claim Aurora at long last."

"So we pretty much want to make this guardian a goner!" Meowth concluded, "That's right!"

"You monsters!" Rina growled. Then she tapped her pearl and summoned, "Corsola!" From her pearl came a pink and white-blue Pokémon with coral horns on top of its body. "Rescue Pikachu using Spiked Cannon!" Directing its horns towards the villainous trio, Corsola fired a volley of energy shots.

Calmly, Jessica summoned, "Wobbuffet, Mirror coat!" From her dark Pokéstone, a blue-blob looking Pokémon appeared in front of them. It surrounded itself in a rainbow light, which redirected the attack back at the Corsola.

Reacting quickly, Sora ordered, "Krookodile, counter with Stone Edge!" Putting itself between Corsola and the attack, the crimson alligator Pokémon summoned sharp stones around itself that it fired back to cancel out the countered Spike Cannon. "Now Sceptile, Leaf Blade!" With the leaves on its arms glowing with energy, Sceptile raced over to Wobbuffet and began to bring the attack down on it.

"Counter!" Another shield of light surrounded it, and knocked Sceptile back.

Grunting with frustration, Sora commanded, "Swellow, Aerial Ace!"

"Corsola, Tackle!" Both Swellow and Corsola charged at their opponent, streaking through the air with power.

"Counter Wobbuffet!" And Wobbuffet did just that, negating the attacks and returning the power at twice its normal strength.

"We're not getting anywhere near them!" Sora grimaced.

"That's the point." Jameson spoke confidently.

"As long as Wobbuffet is out, all your attacks will get returned at twice the power." Jessica scoffed, "You cannot win this one, guardian." But Sora wasn't gonna give up that easily. There just had to be a way to defeat this Pokémon, and rescue Pikachu.

Observing from behind him, Larvitar grew frightened that one of his friends was in trouble from three scary people. It reminded him of memories from when he had been held captive by poachers. Growing more fearful by the minute, Larvitar did the one thing it did out of fear: it used Screech. The sudden shriek of sound made everyone grip their ears in pain.

"What's with the whining?!" Jameson shouted.

"Must be da shrimp's Pokémon!" Meowth yelled. Then Sora noticed that Wobbuffet was having a hard time dealing with the loud noise too. And that gave him an idea.

"Krookodile!" he called over the screeching, "Dig under those three and get Pikachu!" Understanding the order, Krookodile hastily burrowed into the ground, and made its way towards Pikachu.

"Froakie! Use your frubbles to keep Wobbuffet busy!" Leaping up, Froakie flung disks of frubbles from its neck and plastered Wobbuffet in sticky stuff. During it all, the spell the human pair were using began to waver. And eventually, the orb disappeared and Pikachu dropped down into Krookodile's hole. When Pikachu reappeared beside Larvitar, the young Pokémon ended its Screech attack. When it did, the three villains gasped at the sabotage Sora did during the Screech.

"You're going to regret that guardian!" Jameson threatened, pulling out his Pokéstone, "Cacnea, use Pin Missile! Weezing, Sludge Bomb!" The lights from it formed to become a small, cactus looking Pokémon, and a purple Pokémon with two heads in the shape of a chemical bond. Cacnea launched its Pin Missile from its arms, and Weezing spewed out Sludge to attack. Just as Sora was about to retaliate, a Hyper Beam intercepted both attacks. The origin was discovered to be Tyranitar, Larvitar's mother, along with Elder Elm, Sketch, and Sora's crew.

"Elder Elm! Sketch! Everyone!" Sora exclaimed in relief. As they arrived, Rina hid herself behind the rock so none of them could spot her, and brought Corsola next to her as well.

"Is everyone alright?" Elder Elm inquired.

Spotting the three Tyrannian goons, Prince Pewter grimaced, "This isn't good."

"What are people from Tyrannia doing here?" Tidus exclaimed.

"Doesn't matter." Yolanda asserted, "We have to help Sora!"

As everyone pulled out their Pokéstones, Jessica shouted, "Oh no you don't!" After shouting an incantation, everyone's stones turned dark. "I've sealed your Pokéstones now. There will be no helping the prince's enemy." She told them. Yolanda growled at not being able to help Sora, but the situation was already well in hand.

Meowth had managed to scratch off most of the frubbles off Wobbuffet, but that left his claws all gunky and made him incapable of removing the frubbles from Wobbuffet's feet, keeping it firmly rooted.

"Forget about winning, guardian." Jessica smirked, "Any attack you send will just be bounced back by Wobbuffet." Just then, Larvitar pulled on Sora's boot, wanting to be put into action. Sora understood, and remembered an attack Larvitar knew that could bypass Wobbuffet's power.

With a confident gaze, Sora called, "Larvitar, Hidden Power!" Then, white orbs of energy encircled Larvitar as it built up energy. Once it was ready, Larvitar shot them all at Wobbuffet.

"Big whoop!" Jessica scoffed, "We'll just send it right back." Wobbuffet used Mirror Coat, But it failed to block the attack and took the hit instead.

"True Wobbuffet can reflect any attack sent at it." Sora elaborated, "But some attacks are harder to predict, and therefore can't be countered. Hidden Power is that kind of a special attack. So you can't deflect it." This revelation shocked the Tyrannian trio, which created just the opening Sora needed.

"Krookodile, use Stone Edge! Sceptile, Bullet Seed! Gible, Draco Meteor! Froakie, Water Pulse! Larvitar, Hidden Power! And Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" So all six Pokémon launched a medley of attacks right at the trio and their Pokémon, blasting them off in a random direction.

"We're not done yet kid!" Jessica threatened.

"We'll be back! And we'll catch that Pikachu yet!" Jameson warned.

"This ain't da end of it!" Meowth finished.

"Wobbuffet." Wobbuffet spoke.

"Looks like Tyrannia's setting sail again!" the trio cried out as they disappeared into the sky.

As Sora smirked at the victory, everyone else came over to him in a hurry.

"Sora, are you alright?" Prince Pewter asked urgently.

"Those three ruffians didn't hurt you, did they?" Yolanda asked with even more urgency, clinging to Sora rather tightly.

"I'm alright." Sora responded, "All my Pokémon helped hold them back."

"What were they trying to do master?" Tidus wondered.

"They were after Pikachu. They think that by stealing it, they could keep me from beating the Chieftains."

"That's horrible!" Yolanda gasped.

With a stern gaze, Prince Pewter suggested, "I'll send word to the emperor of Tyrannia about this immediately. No one is to impede your progress once you've been challenged by the Chieftains."

"That is true." Elder Elm pondered, "I'll inquire with my old master about this too. This isn't right." Just then, Sora realized something.

"Hey guys," he spoke up, "I want to introduce you to someone else who helped me. She even saved me during that tempest in Aurora."

"'She?'" Yolanda and Prince Pewter quizzed skeptically.

"What do you mean master?" Tidus asked.

"Now don't freak out, but I want to introduce you to Ri—" But when Sora turned to introduce Rina, she wasn't there. Even her Corsola was missing. "Where'd she go?" Sora wondered silently.

Ushering Sora along, Cancer figured, "I think Larvitar's Screech might have messed up your thinking a little. Let's go back to town, and get some rest." So everyone started to make their way back to town.

Giggling from the sea, Rina felt relieved to have avoided being spotted by those other humans. She felt she wasn't ready to reveal herself to them just yet. But she thought she may, someday. For now, she dove underwater and swam off for the _Aura_.

A couple days later, the _Aura_ was fully sea-worthy and ready to set sail. Sora and Pikachu observed as their friends boarded, and Onix were being used to carry cargo onboard. They would be departing soon, setting off for Irk Island and the next Chieftain battle. But before Sora took a step to leave, he heard Larvitar's voice crying out from behind him. As he turned around, he spotted the little tyke racing over to him, and with a mighty leap bounded into his arms.

"Larvitar? What's wrong?" Sora asked.

"I think Larvitar wants to go with you." came Elder Elm.

"Elder?"

"It's alright Sora." Sketch assured, coming up alongside the elder, "Larvitar convinced its mother to let it come along. But to make sure it would be safe, I'm coming along too."

"Really Sketch? That's awesome! It'll be great to have you both onboard."

"Lar!" Larviatar cheered, clambering onto Sora's free shoulder.

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu celebrated.

"One more thing." Elder Elm interjected, "I have a gift from a fellow elder." He then pulled out a dark-blue stone that was similar in size to Charizard's stone. "I was told this stone would work best with your Heracross." He explained, "Think of it as my going away gift."

"Thank you elder." Sora told him. "I'll use it well."

"Well, good luck Sora."

As the ship cast off, everyone waved good-bye to Elder Elm and Silver Island. As they circled the island, they also waved farewell to Larvitar's mother, Tyranitar. And then, the place became nothing more than a dot on the horizon.

Once they were far out to sea, Drake ordered, "Set course for Irk Island."

"Aye aye captain." Kenneth complied.

Sora hung out on the port side, gazing out to sea once more. Very soon, he would be going for his second battle, and his second badge. He was ecstatic. Looking down, he spotted Rina and her sisters in their dinghy fort, talking about what they did at the previous island. Maybe someday, he could show Rina to the others, and help make them feel like a part of his crew. Until then, he had to keep her a secret.

With a smile, Sora told Pikachu and Larvitar, "Hang on." Then he slid down the pulley rope, and landed among his mermaid friends.

"Sorry to drop in unannounced." He apologized.

"It's quite alright." Rina assured.

Noticing the new addition, Kari pointed out, "So that's a Larvitar? Never seen one up close before."

"Well, it is a Rock-type." Sarah reminded, "So they don't normally hang out near water. Still, this one looks kinda cute." But when she tried to approach it, Larvitar hardened up.

"Don't worry." Sora told them, "It just takes some time for Larvitar to get used to new people." Just then, Oshawott appeared from Sora's staff unexpectedly. It quickly noticed the Larvitar on Sora's shoulder, and became fuming mad. Despite Pikachu trying to calm it down, Oshawott Tackled the tyke off, and stood proudly on its new platform. As it got up, Larvitar closed its eyes and hunched over. Sora and Pikachu quickly covered their ears as it unleashed Screech.

And everyone on the ship shouted, "SORA!"

 **Sora: Rina, be careful. This place seems dangerous.**

 **Rina: You're talking to a mermaid Sora. I'm always- *screams***

 **Sora: Rina! You've been poisoned! Please hang on!**

 **Rina: *labored breathing* So… ra…**

 **Sora: RINA!**

 **Next time,**

 **Poisoned Woods**


	11. Chapter 8: Poisoned Woods

**Before I begin the next chapter, I would like to ask people about my A/N that I do before each chapter. I have a poll up about it, and would like to ask you guys to vote and voice your opinion on the matter. Please?**

 **Anyways, we enter a little bit of a darker chapter for the Guardian and Maiden of the Sea. Why's that? Read on and find out. Thankfully, it ain't too dark.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or anything related to the series. All rights to Game Freak and Nintendo alone.**

 **Enjoy.**

Chapter 8:

Poisoned Woods

 _On a calm afternoon, in the presence of the setting sun, a lone sailboat coasted on the ocean waters. Wingull and Pelipper flew overhead, chirping away in song. The occupants of the little raft, Sora and his Pikachu, scanned the horizon for something that they sought. Before long, they found her, resting on a rock standing in the middle of the ocean. The mermaid who saved him, Rina._

 _Upon arrival, Sora docked the ship alongside Rina's perch as he sat next to her. As they watched the radiant sunset, Rina affectionately rested her head on Sora's shoulder. She could feel his muscles rise and fall with each breath he took. She felt so light, resting beside him at this place. Pikachu rested in her lap peacefully. It felt… magical to her._

 _But then, Sora turned his face to hers, a smile evident on his face. He slipped his fingers in-between hers, causing her heartbeat to speed up. The two began to inch their faces closer, eyes closed. And right at the moment when they were about to meet, Sora and Rina were thrown into the water by a wave summoned up in a sudden storm. Rina righted herself, and found Sora sinking to the depths. She called to him, and chased after him. She pumped her tail as hard as she could, desperate to save Sora._

 _As they descended, Rina saw that he began to be approaching what looked like a huge, gaping jaw at the bottom of the ocean. Huge, pearl-crusted, odontoid rocks jutted into the crevasse, a slimy tentacle wrapped around Sora's leg as it dragged him further into the abyss. Rina tried increasing her speed, but felt something grapple around her waist. She was then yanked back into a massive clam, and felt glued down by a sticky substance underneath her. The huge muscle maneuvered her body into a ball, and a hard, crust-like substance began to form around her. Rina struggled and wriggled for her life, continuing to be an observer as Sora floated closer to the maw of the depths. Fully encased, Rina could not help but watch as Sora was engulfed while the clam began to close around her too. Before it sealed its pearl away, Rina watched in horror as Sora was swallowed into the abyss._

"SORAAA!" Rina screamed as she shot awake from her nightmare. Her sudden awakening shocked her sisters awake, and eventually everyone on the ship was awake. As the crew came on deck to find the source of the cry, the mermaids hid silently in their hideaway, nerves tense that they would be discovered. Rina panted heavily, but kept herself as quiet as possible until everything passed.

After much searching above, they heard Drake conclude, "Must have been a wild Chatot that startled us. Let's head back to bed."

"If it was a Chatot, I want to give it a piece of my mind." Yolanda seethed, "I was having such a lovely dream too."

"I'll look around a little longer." Sora offered, "You guys go back to bed." Soon, the whole ship creaked as everyone but the guardian returned to their quarters. When it was all clear, Kari crawled outside as Sora came down to ask if everything was alright.

While they talked, Sarah asked her sister, "The dreams. You're having those dreams again, aren't you?" Nodding solemnly was the only response Rina gave. Why was it happening again? Was she receiving messages about Sora being in danger? From who? And why?

By the next dawn, the _Aura_ had managed to dock on Irk Island. Though, dock wasn't entirely accurate. The entire island was vacant, filled with only a bamboo forest lining the fringe of the island, and a dense forest closer towards the middle, obscuring much of the sunlight. The group dropped anchor at the coastline, then ventured onto the mainland. Almost immediately, the group received the impression that they were being watched. Pikachu stood hunched, his cheeks sparking with electricity. Larvitar tried his best to hide behind Sora's shoulder, intimidated by what he felt around the island.

"I don't like this." Prince Pewter said grimly, "Where is everyone?"

"How are we going to find the Chieftain in a place like this?" Tidus wondered.

Sketching the sight of the woods, Sketch muttered, "This place seems like it's trying to hide something. But what?" Sora gripped his staff tightly, trying to calm his nerves. This forest was playing games with them, he could sense it. He didn't know how he knew that, but he somehow could feel the way these woods manipulated their perception. If that was the case, it would be too dangerous for the others to travel with him into this place.

"I'll go look for the Chieftain that resides here." He told them, "You guys wait here. When I find who he is, I'll send Unfezant to find you."

"But Sora, what if it's a trap?" Yolanda worried, "What if this is the wrong island?"

"Don't worry. I'll be able to handle whatever is here. I am a guardian after all." With a smile, Sora ventured forward and entered the bamboo forest.

Prince Pewter felt uneasy about letting Sora go off on his own. Not only was the forest making him anxious, but everything about Sora's recent behavior made him edgy too. He glanced to his side to find Violet next to him, and directed her with a nod to follow him. Violet leaped without even a whisper, going unnoticed by the others and tailing Sora once more.

The crew weren't the only ones with the jitters about Irk Island. The mermaids also felt uneasy about it too. But to them, it felt like the forest was enhancing their hidden fears of being discovered. They felt vulnerable, and exposed.

"Maybe this is one battle we'll want to sit out on." Sarah squeaked meekly.

"Yeah. Let's stay here, where Drake can protect us." Kari tittered. But Rina did not feel like hiding. Sora was out there, in the forest, with only his Pokémon for company. If Sora fell into danger, who was going to protect him? Fearful or not, she was not going to sit here and worry over Sora.

"Rina, no." Sarah pleaded, seeing her determined expression. But Rina did not register the plea, and swam into a nearby channel to find Sora. She would not have him be in danger from anyone. She will protect Sora.

Pikachu led onward as Sora meandered his way through the bamboo shoots. They then reached the inner limit of the grove, and made it into another forest of conifer trees. Tall, proud conifers stood towering over Sora, casting shadows through their densely packed leaves. Larvitar stayed on Sora's shoulder, trying to hide from the fearful sight. The young guardian was on high alert, his senses on overtime to detect potential dangers. But the island was devoid of any form of life, human or Pokémon. This bothered Sora quite a bit. He should have at least seen Pokémon throughout the place. It all felt too off to be just his nerves.

Deciding to gather his bearings, Sora sat against a tree near a river. Larvitar hopped off his shoulder, and he and Pikachu began talking about the island and its eerie emptiness. Sora picked up a leaf on the ground, and evaluated it for a specific purpose. Satisfied with his find, Sora pressed it against his lips, and began to play it like a whistle. He had learned this trick from some Nuzleaf he had encountered in his earlier travels, and recalled what he had learned to play a calm, tranquil tune (Author's note: think of Oraceon, the song from "The Rise of Darkrai"). Immediately, all the tension he and his Pokémon had felt since their arrival was lifted while he played. And even the forest seemed to respond, becoming filled with light to push back against the shadows. As Sora finished the song, he sighed out the last of his own apprehension.

Rina had managed to hear Sora play the leaf whistle, and found him resting near the bank of the river. She had never felt so captivated before, but she believed it was because of Sora's playing that attracted her. It made sense too, since mermaids loved to sing and listen to music. The song made her anxiety melt away into the flowing river, and caused her to reflect on Sora's characteristics.

It surprised her about how much she had discovered about this human. He loved Pokémon more than fame or title, he valued his friends, he battled with passion and intuition, and he was the first to respond to trouble. She liked all those things about him. Was that even the right word: like?

Rina was about to surprise Sora by singing when something erupted from the water behind her. A huge Tentacruel towered over Rina, its tentacles spread out to scare away intruders. But Rina wasn't scared of it. On the contrary, she loved Tentacool and Tentacruel more than most other Water-types. She was star-struck that one happened to appear behind her. The Tentacruel wormed its tentacles around Rina in a strange showing of affection, eyeing her as it began to wrap her in its tentacles. Rina didn't resist, for she thought of how wonderful it would be for Tentacruel to carry her away.

But then, she heard Sora call out, "Rina , get away!" It came too late, however, as Tentacruel jabbed her with poison from three of its tentacles. Letting her go, Tentacruel spotted its second victim standing near the water's edge.

Sora thrusted his staff upward, and called out, "Noctowl! I choose you!" Out of his staff shined a brighter light than normal. It transformed into an owl with a horn on its forehead like super-large eyebrows, and glittering red feathers on its wings. Its body was a bright yellow color. As it appeared, light sparkled around it.

"Noctowl, use Hypnosis!" Releasing a low pitched trill, Noctowl's eyes glowed a translucent red. Tentacruel looked into its gaze, and saw not a Noctowl and human. Instead, it was frightened to see two a horde of Carvahna rushing after it. Terrified, Tentacruel beat a hasty retreat to escape the imaginary threat.

"Nice work Noctowl." Sora thanked his clever friend.

"What was that about?" Rina chastised, "That Tentacruel was just being friendly."

"That Tentacruel was being hostile." Sora scorned, "It was clearly agitated when you followed me into its territory. I can't believe you didn't notice that."

"People always seem to think that Tentacool and Tentacruel are only bad Pokémon. Even my sisters think so."

"Rina, that Tentacruel was bad! It attacked you after all."

"You just startled it! That's why it did what it did!" Sora just gave up trying to convince Rina about the truth of the situation after that.

Setting it aside, he asked, "Why did you follow me anyway?"

"I want to make sure you don't get hurt." Rina replied, "So that you don't fall into danger."

Taken aback, Sora wondered, "Why?" Without knowing a what to say, Rina flicked her tail as she tried to think of a reason.

Why did she feel so concerned for Sora? She figured part of it was the dream she had of him the other night, but she couldn't tell him that. Half the time, she never understood these premonitions herself. She had only had them twice before, and they helped her protect her sisters from danger. She couldn't tell Sora that though. Who knows what he would do if she told him. It was too risky.

So instead, she answered, "I'm just worried for you, as a friend." But Sora gained a "sense" about Rina's response. Somehow, she was keeping the real reason hidden from him.

"What's the real reason?" he pressed.

"I told you! I'm concerned for…" Rina began to trail off as she grew light-headed and began to swoon. In an instant, she fainted into Sora's lap.

"Pika?!" "Lar?!" Sora's companions cried out in concern. Then, Sora noticed the injection points from the Tentacruel on her shoulder, hip, and middle of her tail. He took off one of his gloves and checked her forehead. It felt burning hot, like Charizard's tail flame.

"That Tentacruel had to have poisoned her with Poison Jab." Sora mumbled. He quickly sifted through his medical pouch, and applied a purple paste to Rina's injection wounds. He then looked for an Antidote potion Cancer had concocted.

"There isn't enough Antidote for her." He grunted, seeing merely a drop in the bottle. He couldn't abandon Rina here in the woods with the condition she was in. But he needed to look around for berries that could counter the poison. So he carried Rina to a nearby tree, and rested her at its base. Then he grabbed his staff and instructed, "Pikachu, Larvitar, stay here and watch over Rina. Noctowl and I are gonna look around for Pecha Berries. Make sure you do everything you can to keep her fever down."

"Pika!" Pikachu saluted.

"Come on Noctowl." Sora called. And the duo forged further into the woods, leaving Pikachu and Larvitar to watch over Rina.

Violet had been in a nearby tree, observing everything that had happened. She wasn't sure what to think about the mermaid's situation, but she could definitely say she didn't like it. Sora gave her too much attention, more than Yolanda even. It was possible that she could threaten the betrothal between Sora and the princess. She couldn't allow that.

But rather than take immediate action, Violet watched Sora's Pokémon as they tended to the mermaid. They had used leaves like a blanket to shelter her from wind, and worked together to carry water for her to drink using a much larger leaf. Both Pikachu and Larvitar looked genuinely concerned for her. It was quite astonishing, especially for a rock Pokémon like Larvitar.

After several minutes of observation, Violet decided that enough was enough. She was not going to allow this mermaid to poison Sora's mind anymore.

Drawing a short sword from behind her, she whispered, "Forgive me Sora. But this is for your own good." Dropping from her perch, Violet dashed over to where Rina lay. Pikachu immediately sensed her approach, and quickly knocked the blade out of Violet's hand using Iron Tail.

"Pika Pikachu?! Pika!" Pikachu challenged.

"Out of the way Pikachu!" Violet returned.

"Pika! Pi Pika Pi! Pikachu Pi! Pika!"

"I don't need to tell you again! If you won't move, I'll make you!"

"Pi!"

Bringing out her Pokéstone, Violet summoned, "Excadrill, let's go!" A light shot out from the stone, and formed a huge mole Pokémon with metal claws.

"Excadrill!" it roared out. But Pikachu didn't have the option of backing down. It was going to protect Rina, for Sora and for its friendship with her.

Further in the woods, Sora and Noctowl were desperately searching for Pecha Berries. They searched the various trees and shrubs for them, but they were not having any luck in their search. Sora began to worry that he wouldn't find them in time to save Rina. That paste he used would delay the poison, but it wouldn't work for long. But he shook off his concern, knowing it would only hinder his chances at saving her. Following Noctowl, he forged on to save Rina.

While Sora searched for an Antidote to the poison, Pikachu was fending off Excadrill and Violet. Excadrill had several major advantages over Pikachu, one of which was it being a Ground-type. But Pikachu had faced worse odds before. This was no different.

"Excadrill, Metal Claw!" Violet commanded. The steels claws hardened as Excadrill slashed down at the tiny mouse Pokémon. But Pikachu stood its ground, using Iron Tail to block the attack. Then, it shifted into Quick Attack and forced Excadrill back. Pikachu did not have much of an option to dodge attacks this time around. If it moved, Excadrill would go after Rina. It had to stand firm, and hold its attacker back.

But Violet wasn't going to be held back by the little lightning mouse. So she ordered, "Bypass it with Dig!" Excadrill combined its metal claws with its head, forming a drill shape, and barreled into the ground. Pikachu used both its ears and sensed where Excadrill would appear next. Then, he jumped over to the spot, and slammed down hard with Iron Tail. Excadrill leaped out, using the shock to propel him.

"Now, Focus Blast!" Excadrill built up an orb of energy, and volleyed it at rocket speed towards Pikachu. In response, Pikachu released a Thunderbolt and destroyed the attack.

"Drill Run!" Through the resulting cloud, Excadrill's drill form shot straight into Pikachu, causing major damage and knocking it into a tree. Beaten but not defeated, Pikachu struggled to stand. There was too much at stake for it to lose this fight.

Watching next to the ailing mermaid, Larvitar began to grow afraid. This new human with the Excadrill scared him quite a bit. What was even more scary was that they were hurting Pikachu, just to get to Rina. Before Excadrill could prepare another attack, Larvitar used Screech.

Sora had finally managed to locate where the Pecha Berries were, thanks to Noctowl. The owl Pokémon had grabbed a handful from the tree, and dropped them into Sora's bag.

"Great Noctowl. This ought to be just enough to help Rina." Sora commended. Then, he heard a loud cry sound out from where he left Rina. He recognized it as Larvitar's Screech attack, and immediately knew something was wrong. With haste, Sora and Noctowl rushed back to their friends.

Larvitar's Screech caused Violet, Pikachu, and Excadrill to cover their ears and halt the battle. Violet hated that Larvitar was using Screech at a time like this, when she was so close to dealing judgment to the mermaid. She needed to do something about that incessant Screeching.

With a growl, she commanded, "Excadrill, use Dig!" Excadrill quickly burrowed underground, and came back up underneath Larvitar and Rina, sending them both flying. "Now, Metal Claw that mermaid!" But as Excadrill tried to approach, the now-stopped-Screeching Larvitar used Hidden Power, and knocked it back with tremendous force. Pikachu then used Thunderbolt, conducting its attack through Excadrill's steel parts. It didn't hurt it, but Excadrill became stunned from the shock on its steel claws.

Rina and Larvitar landed safely on a pile of leaves after some air time, and Pikachu limped over to check on them. Larvitar assured him that it was fine, but Rina was another story. Her breathing was becoming shallower and labored, and she began to grimace in pain.

"Sora, no. Sora!" she would mutter, as if having a nightmare.

Seething under her mask, Violet shouted, "Enough is enough! Excadrill, Drill Run!" Excadrill charged towards them, supercharged with anger. Larvitar cringed back, expecting the blow. And Pikachu put itself in front of Excadrill's attack. It looked to be the end.

Until, "Noctowl, Sky Attack!" A light-filled streak of red and yellow tackled Excadrill off course, causing it to hit the ground instead. As it got up, Sora instructed, "Hypnosis." Channeling its Psychic energy, Noctowl met Excadrill's gaze as it gained influence over the digger Pokémon. The attack did its job, and lulled Excadrill to sleep. Surprised, Violet turned to see a very strict looking Sora trodding over to Rina.

"Do I need to ask what you are trying to do?" Sora spoke sternly to the ninja.

"You think just because you're a guardian that you can go behind the prince's back?" Violet retorted, "What a little kid! For your information, I was doing you and that freak a favor."

"And trying to kill her is a favor?!"

"She's poisoning your mind, Sora. If you don't sever ties now, you will regret it."

As she returned Excadrill to her Pokéstone, Sora grunted, "I don't abandon my friends. If someone is in trouble, I will do everything I can to help them."

"Even if it means betraying everyone else? Open your eyes!" That set off the last trip wire. Without even so much as a warning, Sora had Violet pinned against a tree, his arm pressed hard against her throat. Pikachu tried calming him down, sensing the anger growing inside of him.

"You listen here Violet!" Sora growled threateningly, "I do not betray anyone that I have ties to. I am not like Ragnar. I don't care whether someone is human, Pokémon, mermaid, or whoever. They are all my friends."

"Sora, you're not thinking right." Violet strained to speak, "That deceiver is blinding you. If you keep her close, she'll—"

"ENOUGH!" Sora shouted, pressing his arm further against Violet's throat, "I don't want to hear anymore. If you try to ever attempt to kill her again, don't expect me to be merciful to you that time. Understood?" Pikachu was now trying harder to stop Sora from crossing the line, yelling at him with sparks coming out of its cheeks. Violet was gasping for air, struggling against Sora's force.

But, she eventually groaned, "Hai, Sora." With that, Sora let Violet go. And as he went over to Rina, Violet was left retching and coughing from being choked, frightened by this new side of Sora she had never seen before. A darker side.

Sora immediately went to work, grinding some of the Pecha Berries he had into a mashed mixture. His anger from earlier had dissipated, but the stern gaze he had before was still there. Pikachu felt very worried. His master almost never lost his temper to the point where he would threaten someone. He hoped, as Larvitar did, that they would never have to see that side of him again.

Looking back, Sora noticed Violet curled up against a tree. He deeply regretted letting his anger get out of control like that, and felt guilty about what he had said to her. It was like another person had taken over, a side he never believed he had. But he shook it off, focusing his concern on Rina.

Having finished mashing the berries, Sora told Noctowl, "Keep Violet company, please Noctowl. I don't want her to think I view her or the prince as enemies." Noctowl chirped in reply, and flew over to Violet. Then Sora lifted Rina up a bit, and whispered softly, "Here Rina, eat this. They're Pecha Berries. They should help relieve the poison." He managed to feed the mashed berries to Rina, then removed the paste he used to seal her injection wounds. He then replaced the paste with bandages, and set her back down on the bed of leaves.

But then, Rina began to mutter, "Sora, no. Disaster. My fault." Her muttering startled him. What did she mean by disaster? How could it be her fault? Sora was quite puzzled. He figured that the poison wasn't the only thing affecting her. But what?

Walking up to him after some time, Violet requested, "Master Sora. Please forgive me for my actions. I-I didn't know what came over me."

"I'm the one who should be asking for forgiveness." Sora responded, "My actions towards you were unjust and without proper cause. Forgive me."

"Forgiven. It must be these woods causing us to act on our negative emotions."

"You might be right." Then Sora picked up a leaf and continued, "It's times like these where this comes in handy." Then, he began to play the calming melody he had played before. Almost immediately, the effect of the darkening woods began to brighten, and Violet felt a calming feeling come over her. It felt rejuvenating, uplifting, and compassionate.

When Sora finished, Violet whispered, "Beautiful. So wonderful a sound."

"Thanks." Sora replied, "I play it whenever I feel down, angry, or nervous. It's like this song brings light to my problems."

"I think so too." Violet agreed, then she warned, "I think there's a reason these woods have been messing with us. We're being watched."

"I had the same feeling. Noctowl, Foresight!" Determined, Noctowl flew up into the air and scanned the woods with beams of light shining from its eyes. As it went over the immediate area, several Ghastly and Haunter began to appear. They had them surrounded.

"I should've known." Violet grunted, "They were using Confuse Ray on us."

"That was why we acted the way we did." Sora figured. Out of nowhere, Sora, Violet, and Sora's Pokémon were hit with darts covered with a green substance. Immediately, they began to feel sleepy, and collapsed onto the ground. Sora was the last to fall, resisting the urge as much as he could. He needed to protect Rina from whoever was after them. As he began to fall victim to sleep, he reached out and grabbed Rina's hand.

Landing beside him stood a tall man in a deep-blue ninja's tunic. He had a fierce gaze, almost piercing even. A blood-red scarf was tied around his neck as he examined his victims.

"Guardian Sora." he spoke, "Your challenge has begun."

 **Sora: Who are you?! What have you done with Rina?!**

 **Kuro: I am Sensei Kuro. The Chieftain of this island.**

 **Sora: I see. Then I suppose I have to win to save my friends?**

 **Kuro: *chuckle* If you can withstand me. Begin!**

 **Next time,**

 **Shadows and Light**


	12. Chapter 9: Shadows and Light

**Hope you guys are ready for a battle, because it's time for the next Chieftain face-off!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its content. All rights to Game Freak, Nintendo, and related parties.**

* * *

Chapter 9:

Shadows and Light

Guest Star:  
Koga (Fuchsia City Gym Leader) as Sensei Kuro

Screams. That was what Sora first heard as he started coming around. Random, horrifying screams of torture, agony, and desperation. Sora couldn't figure out where they were coming from, but these screams were hurting him. Then, the screams became pleas, calling to Sora to save them. Sora didn't know where he was, but he curled up on the ground as he tried to block out these cries. Even so, the sound persisted.

"No, stop." Sora muttered to himself, "No more. I can't bear it." But the screams continued to magnify, tearing into Sora like Fearow talons. Then, he could hear his friends in those screams. They were pleading to him, asking him why he failed them. Yolanda, Prince Pewter, Tidus, Sarah, Drake… Rina. Sora couldn't take any more of it. He felt like he was going to explode.

* * *

"PIIIKKACHUUUUUUU!" Out of nowhere, Sora was shocked awake by a really strong Thunderbolt. He bolted upright, sweating profusely, worn and weary. His mind was abuzz with questions, his nerves shot with adrenaline, and his heart beating like a drum. What had he experienced just then? A nightmare? What did it mean?

In his ponderings, Sora felt two small beings hop into his lap. When he looked down, Pikachu and Larvitar looked at him with concerned expressions. Their eyes were brightly lit, but not with joy or relief.

"Lar." Larvitar cried, hugging close to Sora.

Calming himself down, Sora told him, "It's alright Larvitar. I'm here."

"Pikachu." Pikachu sighed, seeing his master was better.

"Thanks for waking me Pikachu." He told his buddy.

"Pika Pi Pika Pika. Pi! Pika, Chu Pi?"

"Long story. And one I'd rather not relive."

"Pika Pi. Pika Pikachu?"

"That's right! Violet and Rina were with us too. What happened to them?" Pikachu merely shrugged. That was when Sora began to take note of where he was. Unfortunately, the room seemed to have no light in it. Even so, Sora found that there was no one else in the room with them. It was just him, Pikachu, and Larvitar. Sora could not even find his staff anywhere.

"Are we prisoners?" Sora muttered as he stood up. No sooner had he uttered the words that the door slid open, blinding the occupants with the outside light. "Who's there?" Sora demanded, shielding his eyes from the light.

His only reply was, "The Chieftain is ready to see you." With his eyes adjusted, Sora ventured out of the room and into the courtyard.

* * *

The inner courtyard looked like a Japanese garden. Small trees hung low over river channels filled with Goldeen. Shrubs and flowers dotted the place in a particular pattern, and cherry blossom trees were beginning to bloom, over-looking the other plants. Sora felt like the very place was making him feel calmer, more at peace with himself. But he remained on-guard for any potential sneak attacks. He didn't want a repeat of how he got into this mess.

He ventured into the garden with Larvitar and Pikachu following dutifully by his side. Sora spotted people milling about the courtyard, all in traditional kimono's or other traditional Japanese garb. It was like Sora had entered into a whole other world. But where were Violet and Rina? That was Sora's main focus. He had to find his friends, to make sure they were alright.

But then, he stopped when he spotted a pair sitting under a cherry blossom tree. The two looked almost exactly like him and Rina that Sora thought he was hallucinating. He watched, transfixed, as the boy snatched some of the falling petals and presented them to the girl. She giggled, and pecked him with a kiss, making him blush. Shaking himself out of it, Sora turned away, and ventured onward.

Then, from behind him, a voice spoke, "Turning from the truths you hide in your heart, guardian?" Startled, Sora spotted a man in a dark-blue ninja outfit, a red scarf tied around his neck, and spiky, black hair. How did this man sneak up on Sora without his knowing? It was like he had been a shadow the whole time.

"Who are you? Where are my friends?" Sora demanded as he scooted away from the mysterious man.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted.

"Larvitar!" Larvitar pitched in. But the strange figure did not even register the question.

Rather, he continued by elaborating, "Do you hide these truths because they frighten you? Or is it a fear that comes from others?" Sora was becoming quite perplexed by the questions he was being asked. What truths? What fear? All he wanted to do was save his friends and battle the Chieftain. "You cannot hide what you shelter in the shadows from one who dwells in shadows."

"Are you in league with Ragnar and Tyrannia then?" Sora gritted.

"Hmm. You truly are afraid. And that fear has already begun to poison you. How much longer would it be until the poison ran its course, leaving you as an empty shell?"

"Listen! I don't have time for riddles. Where is the Chieftain, and where are my friends?!" Just then, Sora felt a "sense" of someone coming from behind him, Reacting as swiftly as a Jolteon, Sora blocked a ninja's attempt to swipe at him with a kunai. The move enabled Sora to knock the weapon out of the ninja's hand, and he gained leverage to press him back into the water channel. Reacting on instinct, and on "sense," Sora swept his leg to trip up a kunoichi. When he saw what he had just done, Sora became stunned. How'd he do that? He had been good in combat, but never good enough to detect sneak attacks.

"Impressive. You are who we expected when we challenged you." The ninja grunted.

"When you challenged me?" Sora asked.

"Yes. I am the Chieftain of Irk Island, Sensei Kuro. I had been expecting you."

"Glad we finally get to meet. Chieftain Kuro, I accept your challenge. I am Guardian Sora, hailing from Trinity Island and the kingdom of Aurora."

"Well met, guardian."

"Before we commence, I would like to know what happened to my friends." To answer the request, Kuro snapped his fingers, and a sliding door opened behind him. Inside were Violet and Rina, both held by ninjas who held small shirukens to their necks. Rina was still unconscious; her breathing had become heavier somehow. Sora was stunned.

Outraged, Sora demanded, "Release them!"

"You have no place to make the command." Kuro spoke sternly, "You were meant to come alone. Our dojo is a secret place that no one may be allowed to know. Your friend, and the mermaid, are both trespassers."

Growling, Sora told Pikachu, "Use Quick Attack to save Violet and Rina." But before Pikachu could prep the attack, one of the ninjas pressed his shiruken deeper into Violet's neck, causing her to grimace. Playing it safe, Pikachu chose not to engage this time.

"Your accomplices will be safe, only if you do what I say." Kuro told him, "Especially the mermaid. Tentacruel poison is quite difficult to remedy. And by my count, she may not have longer to live." Sora hated the position he was put in. For one thing, he was ready to face the Chieftain and get his second badge. Then again, who's to say Kuro would honor his word of keeping his friends safe? If Sora didn't obey, he would kill Violet and Rina without a moment's hesitation, and their blood would be on his hands. He had no choice.

With an antagonized growl, Sora replied, "Then, let us battle. But no harm is to come to them."

"You have my word." Kuro assured. With it, the battle was ready to begin.

* * *

An obscuring cloud seemed to have lifted as Rina came around. Her body felt weak, and her limbs like they were detached from her. Rina's eyes took a while to focus, but she eventually discovered Violet sitting next to her, holding a certain herb over her nose.

"V…Violet?" she whispered.

"Welcome back." Violet replied warmly, "Looks like this medicine is really helping."

"Wh… Where's Sora?"

"Over at the battlefield. He's about to battle the Chieftain; ninja master Kuro."

"The… Chieftain? But… what about..?"

"Shh." Violet shushed soothingly, "Rest Rina. We're being held prisoner, since we both trespassed here. Sora has to battle Sensei Kuro so that we'll be alright." Rina understood what she meant fairly quickly. Sitting quietly at the back of the room was a ninja, crossbow trained on the pair. A Sableye stood beside him, teeth bared in a vicious grin.

Turning her head to her right, Rina spotted Sora and his two Pokémon on the battlefield. Sora was missing his staff, but he didn't seem fazed by the absence. He looked very grim and fierce, his expression sharp as a spear. Rina tried to get up, but her muscles would not respond. She hated the thought of being helpless, but there was nothing she could do. It was all up to Sora now.

* * *

Sora faced his opponent, steeled for a tough battle. Without his staff, Sora was limited to just using Pikachu and Larvitar. Sora knew Pikachu could hold its own in battle, but Larvitar was still very young, and did not have a lot of battle experience. Even so, without his staff and his other Pokémon, they were all he had.

Sensing this, Sensei Kuro snapped his fingers. Immediately, a ninja appeared with Sora's staff, who then tossed it at the guardian.

Once Sora caught it Kuro instructed, "We shall use two Pokémon only."

"Very well. I accept." Sora replied.

"Good. Now, Crobat, begin!" Kuro summoned out a purple bat with four wings in an X formation. Sora remembered that Crobat were fast, and their attacks could be menacing.

He didn't feel trustworthy about the ground, so he summoned, "Noctowl, I choose you!" And out came Sora's shiny Noctowl, looking rested and eager to battle.

"Crobat, Toxic Spikes!" Immediately, Crobat launched streaks of purple light around Noctowl, as they all descended and disappeared into the field. It might have looked like nothing happened, but Sora saw the ploy. If any of his Pokémon even touched the field now, they would instantly be poisoned. To avoid that, Sora had to keep this battle in the air.

"Noctowl, Sky Attack!" Becoming a streak of light, Noctowl charged at Crobat with immense power.

"Meet it with Cross Poison." Kuro responded. With all four wings becoming imbued with toxic energy, Crobat knocked Noctowl back, cancelling the Sky Attack. "Now, use Screech." Crobat let out a high-pitched sound, forcing Sora, Pikachu and Larvitar to cover their ears. Not only them, but Violet had to block out the noise herself.

"Noctowl, use Confusion!" With its horn gathering psychic energy, Noctowl blasted Crobat back, stopping the Screech attack.

"Crobat, Wing Attack!" Streaking faster than could be registered, Crobat nailed Noctowl repeatedly. Noctowl did its best to stay aloft, but the constant string of attacks was taking its toll. Eventually, Crobat knocked the owl Pokémon towards the ground. But Noctowl recovered nearly a second before it hit the ground.

"Nice work Noctowl!" Sora cheered.

"Cross Poison!" Crobat dealt one last blow, and drove Noctowl into the ground. From there, the Toxic Spikes did their work, and began poisoning Noctowl with relative ease. Sora's Pokémon looked sick, weakened, and incapable of performing at full strength. And with that poison, it would become weaker as the battle dragged on.

"Now what to do, guardian?" Kuro posed his question, "Your Pokémon has been weakened and poisoned, making it weaker than a flailing Magikarp. What shall you do to overcome this?" Sora growled in response. He hated how his Noctowl had been overtaken so easily. It was only the first match, and Sora already had his back to the wall. What could he do now? He needed to win, to keep his friends safe. Just then, Noctowl began to stagger back up. When it did, it let out a proud cry and spread out its wings. It wasn't giving up, no matter what.

Grinning, Sora answered, "At first, it may seem like all hope is lost. But, you cannot give up, even when everything is against you! My Pokémon won't give up, so neither will I!" Sensei Kuro smirked, proud of the response he received from the young guardian. "Noctowl, Confusion!" Mustering up its strength, Noctowl launched another Confusion attack at Crobat.

"Dodge, then Cross Poison!" Crobat slid out of the way of Noctowl's attack, then charged at its opponent with a cross of poison.

Smirking, Sora instructed, "Shift into Hypnosis!" Refocusing its psychic energy, Noctowl locked gazes with Crobat. The four-winged bat halted its attack, and began drooping closer to the ground, until it had touched down. "Now, Sky Attack!" Becoming a streak, Noctowl dashed into Crobat, and it fainted instantly.

* * *

"My Crobat is defeated." Kuro spoke plainly as he returned his Pokémon to his Pokéstone, "An impressive display of will. The poison seems to not bother you."

Pulling out a Pecha Berry, Sora replied, "The poison does bother me. But, I don't let it impede in the task I have before me." Noctowl flew onto Sora's arm, and pecked at the berry to cure itself of its poison.

"Very good. You have the focus of a true warrior. That is not an easy thing to have in the face of such trials." In the back of his mind, Sora wasn't quite so sure. Partly why he was so focused on winning was for his friends. He had to win, or risk their lives being put in jeopardy. Especially Rina, and the Tentacruel venom. He needed to pull out a win quickly, or risk her dying from illness.

"Now then, for your true test!" Kuro proclaimed, "Gengar, appear!" From the light came a purple ghost Pokémon with stubby hands and feet. It wore a wide, menacing grin and a wicked gaze.

"Gengar." It chuckled.

Steeling himself, Sora asked, "Are you ready, Noctowl?" Noctowl chirped a proud reply, and flew back into battle. The next match was about to begin.

* * *

Back on the sidelines, Rina began to feel some strength returning to her. It wasn't much, but it was enough for her to try and lift herself.

Violet noticed her doing this, ad coaxed, "Rina, rest. We aren't in the best position for you to get up right now."

"Sora… He needs… to know." Rina grunted, "He'll be too… distracted… about me."

"As long as you're safe, he can focus on winning. His Noctowl already beat Sensei Kuro's first Pokémon." Rina was relieved to hear that, but at the same time very worried. There was something about this place that felt wrong to her. It was like there were shadows present everywhere, poised and anxious to strike.

Seeing the strain that was displaying, Violet eased Rina back onto the mat. Then she started applying an orange paste on Rina's injection wounds. Violet's recent behavior puzzled Rina. When they first met, she had been rather hostile towards her. Now, Violet was helping her recover.

"Why are you helping me?" Rina asked, "I thought you hated people like me." Violet's Axew came out of its shelter, and helped Violet with the medicine they were given.

"I don't hate you Rina." Violet answered, "At least, not in the same way as Princess Yolanda would. But, I will admit to having misgivings about you. I was always told the legends about mermaids, and the tragedies they were a part of. That's what I initially thought about you; that you were like all of them. But, with the way Sora sees you, maybe all those tales weren't true after all. Maybe you are a friend, not a threat." A friend, not a threat. That was what Violet called her. Rina still didn't understand it, but she figured Violet might be beginning to open up to her a bit. But, only time would tell.

* * *

At Sora's end, the second battle was about to begin.

Sora and Noctowl braced themselves as Sensei Kuro called out, "Gengar, Shadow Ball!"

"Noctowl, dodge and use Foresight!" Dodging the dark balls of energy, Noctowl tried its best to nail Gengar with a Foresight attack. However, the onslaught of Shadow Balls kept it from focusing, so it wasn't able to set its sights on Gengar. When it finally let up, both Sora and Noctowl found Gengar to have vanished from sight. Sora already figured Gengar merely disappeared, yet was still around here somewhere. He just had to look, and see anything peculiar.

Just then, he had another "sense" coming from above Noctowl.

Acting on it, he called, "Foresight, above you!" Noctowl heeded the order immediately, and flashed its Foresight up at Gengar, who reappeared rather suddenly. "Now, Sky Attack!" Noctowl streaked up, knocking Gengar out of the air. But Gengar looked unfazed, its signature grin permanently fixed on its face.

Chuckling, Sensei Kuro spoke, "You play like a child."

"What?!" Sora burst in outrage.

"Pikachu!"

"Your Noctowl is frail compared to Gengar. This next battle will break you in half even more so." Opening his left palm, Kuro revealed a rainbow-colored stone set in his glove. A Keystone! "Let us see how long you last with Mega Evolution!" Tapping his Keystone, Kuro proclaimed:

"Beyond evolution. Mega Evolve!"

Then, much like what happened with Akito and Blastoise, two sets of tendrils appeared from Kuro's Keystone and Gengar. The lights linked, and Gengar began to change shape. Its arms grew longer, while its legs shrunk into its body. A third eye appeared on its forehead, and its wrists flamed out. It had Mega Evolved!

"Not again." Sora grunted.

"Gengar, Sludge Wave!" Kuro commanded. Then, Gengar spewed out a toxic wave up into the air and over Noctowl.

"Noctowl, Confusion to counter!" But it was too late, for Noctowl was engulfed in the attack. When it reappeared, Noctowl looked sick again. "Noctowl, try your Hypnosis!"

"Gengar, Venoshock!" Again, Gengar was faster, and nailed Noctowl with its poison energy. When the attack landed, Noctowl began to fall to the ground.

"Noctowl, no!"

"Pika!"

"Hmph! Venoshock does double damage when the opponent is poisoned. Your Pokémon has no chance. And, Foresight is no longer in effect after Gengar Mega Evolved."

"Then, use Foresight now!" Before it made impact with the ground, Noctowl flashed Gengar with Foresight, taking away its advantage as a Ghost-type. Then, Noctowl crashed and fainted.

"Noctowl!" Sora called, racing over to his unconscious ally. Noctowl looked weakened, but it would recover from this fight. Returning it to his staff, Sora requested, "You did amazing Noctowl. Now get some rest." Sora sized up his opponent now that his true strength had been shown. So Sensei Kuro could use Mega Evolution too, the same power Akito displayed before. This meant that Sora would need to match that kind of power. And there was only one Pokémon he knew who had it.

"I choose you, Charizard!" Appearing in the air, out of reach of the Toxic spikes, came Sora's fire-dragon Pokémon. When it appeared, Charizard regarded Gengar's presence with a fierce gaze. But Gengar merely chuckled like the trickster it was, enraging Charizard even more.

"You seek the path to power, against the might of shadow." Kuro grunted, "Pathetic!"

"My Charizard is not pathetic!" Sora retaliated, "We've been together since the beginning, and have only grown stronger as a team since. We won't lose to you!" With a mighty roar, Charizard spewed out a mighty Flamethrower into the air, demonstrating its power.

"That is not what I was referring to. I will show you the error of your methods."

"And I'll show you not to underestimate me! Charizard, Flamethrower!" Letting loose an intense inferno, Charizard blasted Gengar full force. But as the flames disappeared, Gengar had disappeared again. Faster than Sora could even blink, Gengar had skidded right behind Charizard.

"Gengar, Shadow Ball!" And Gengar nailed Charizard in the back. Charizard bore the attack, but it looked rather enraged in the process.

"Sweep back with Dragon Tail!" Charizard tried to do so while avoiding the ground, but Gengar skittered out of the way in a blur of purple. "Steel Wing!" Wings charged, Charizard rushed for the meddlesome Ghost Pokémon.

"Confuse Ray!" With all three eyes, Gengar locked gazes with Charizard. A strange light emitted from its eyes, forcing the dragon to descend right onto the field. The instant it did, the Toxic Spikes went to work as they poisoned it. Without mercy, Kuro shouted, "Venoshock!" Letting loose a torrent of poison, Gengar pelted Charizard and dealt excessive damage.

"Charizard!" Sora cried out. As the smoke from the attack cleared, Charizard looked very worn and weak. The poison was clearly affecting it. Sora and Charizard really had their backs to the wall.

On the sidelines, Violet and Axew were terrified. Kuro was slamming Sora's Pokémon all over the place without so much as a twitch. His Gengar was excessively powerful, maybe even more so than Charizard thanks to its Mega Evolution.

"Oh dear!" she whispered, "How is Sora supposed to win this fight? It almost seems impossible now." But Rina felt inclined to disagree. Sora and Charizard may have been knocked down, but they weren't out. They could come back and win this battle, and they had the power to do it.

Finding the strength to lift herself, Rina shouted, "Don't give in Sora! The battle isn't over yet! You still have the power to win this!"

Hearing her words on the field, Sora called back, "Give up? That's not how I battle."

"Then show this Chieftain why you have become so strong! Prove there is more to you than can be seen!"

"Rina! Are you trying to put us in more danger?!" Violet scolded.

"It won't matter what happens." Rina told her, "Because Sora won't lose. Not today."

"So selfish. Like a little kid." Violet pouted.

Spurred on by her words, Sora looked back onto the field. Sure, his Charizard was in a bit of a bind. But when had they never? This was where a trainer shined best; in the face of adversity. Besides, Kuro wasn't the only one with an ace up his sleeve.

"Now what guardian?" Kuro inquired, "Your Charizard is weakened, and growing weaker by the minute. Can you truly pull out a win in these circumstances?"

"I know we can." Sora replied, showing his Mega Ring, "Because this battle isn't over yet. And I have one more trick to play." Tapping his Keystone, Sora proclaimed:

"Keystone, hear my heart and answer my call."

Then, like before, tendrils of light shot out from the two stones, and connected in a powerful clash.

"Mega Evolution!"

Charizard's form made a quick change, and a fierce one. As Charizard began to Mega Evolve, the light around it radiated so much that the Toxic Spikes were scorched off the field. Gengar tried to shield its eyes from the radiant glow, and Kuro staggered back from its brilliance. It was far different from any Mega Evolution he had ever seen. How could Sora yield such power?

After the radiant glow rose into the air above Charizard, the light around it faded as its Mega form came into focus. Like the first time, Charizard had fins on its arms, wider wings, its tail flame was larger, and a horn protruded from the back of its head. Not only did it look stronger, but Kuro noted that Charizard seemed replenished. The poison it had was gone, and it was no longer confused. It was as if the Mega Evolution healed it.

"Such power." Sensei Kuro gasped.

"This is the power my Pokémon and I share, and the power that will defeat you now!" Sora shouted out, "Charizard, Steel Wing!"

As Charizard rushed forward, Kuro commanded, "Gengar, use Confuse Ray!" But then, Charizard brought its wings in front of its face, keeping Gengar from locking eyes with it. In addition, Charizard barreled into its opponent and knocked it back. As it recovered, Gengar lost its vile grin, and instead had a deep frown in its place. "Very well, Shadow Ball!"

"Knock it back with Dragon Tail!" Once the dark orb was launched, Charizard knocked it back to sender, dealing major damage.

Grunting, Sensei Kuro shouted, "Venoshock!" Gengar let loose globs of poison from its mouth, trying to nail Charizard and knock it out. But Charizard sailed in the air like an ace, dodging and ducking all the poison globs Gengar sent its way. Sensei Kuro was beginning to lose his cool. Sora and Charizard had shifted this battle into their favor.

With a howling roar, he ordered, "Sludge Wave, NOW!" Gengar built up poison between its hands, then vaulted it all at Charizard.

"Charizard, intercept with Flamethrower!" A massive fire built up inside it, and Charizard belted out an inferno back at Gengar. The two attacks met in a heated clash, neither side giving an inch. Both Pokémon were straining to beat the other, using everything they had to win.

"You will not win!" Kuro roared, "You know nothing about the power of Mega Evolution. You and your Pokémon will not prevail!"

As Gengar's Sludge Wave began to gain ground in the clash, Sora responded, "I may not know about Mega Evolution, but this I do know. The real power I hold is one I share with my friends. All my Pokémon and I share a strong bond, stronger than anything I have ever faced. That bond is what makes us strong. And I want to use it to protect everyone I hold dear. To protect Tidus, Prince Pewter, Sketch, Cancer, Princess Yolanda, my whole crew. But even more, to protect my friends in Rina and her sisters." Then he proclaimed, "That is why I will not lose!" With a proud roar, Sora's Mega Ring began to shine. In response, Charizard felt a surge of power course through it. Channeling that power, it blasted out with all its might. Then, the Flamethrower overpowered the Sludge Wave, pushing through and consuming Gengar. A billowing cloud enveloped the field, obscuring both combatants from view. Sora and Kuro looked on with fierce expressions, Violet and Axew held their breaths in anticipation of the end result, while Rina held her hand over her heart as she waited to see the end. As the cloud began to dissipate, Charizard appeared looking strong and gaunt. And when it completely settled, Gengar was sprawled out on the field, having reverted to its natural form.

* * *

With the battle finally over, Charizard then reverted back to normal. And in response, Sora collapsed to his knees from exhaustion. Pikachu and Larvitar rushed to him, concerned that he had exerted too much energy.

Panting somewhat, he told them, "Don't worry. I'll be alright. But, what about Violet and Rina?"

"Pika Pi Chu?"

"It's okay buddy." Rising to his feet, Sora called, "Return Charizard, and get some rest." And Charizard returned to Sora's staff. Once that was done, Sora and his two Pokémon hurried over to Violet and Rina.

"That was amazing!" Violet cheered when Sora approached, "Worthy of a Dragon Master. It just goes to show how powerful Charizard is, being a Dragon-type and all."

"Dragon-type?" Sora quizzed, "Violet, Charizard is a Fire and Flying type, not a Dragon-type."

"You keep saying that, but I'm not going to believe that." Sora had a hard time wrapping his head around the idea that Charizard could be a Dragon-type, but his puzzlement could wait.

"Are you alright then?" he asked.

"What do you take me for?" Violet smirked, "I am a ninja, aren't I? Of course I'm alright."

"That's good to hear." Kneeling next to Rina, he inquired, "You had me worried for a while. Are you feeling better?"

With a nod, Rina replied, "Much better. Violet took good care of me while you battled."

"Violet did?"

"Hey, I'm not gonna go back on my word Sora. Besides, it's because of you that we're all still alive."

"Then, many thanks for watching over her."

"Just don't let Princess Yolanda find out. That'll be worse than a thousand tempests."

"Yet even a mighty tempest can be quelled by the boldest of hearts." Sensei Kuro spoke out as he came up to the three. Shooting to his his feet, Sora held his staff in a battle-ready position, with Pikachu and Larvitar ready at his feet. "Peace guardian. The trial is over." he assured, "You have passed. And the mermaid has been purged of the Tentacruel poison."

"She has?" Sora quizzed.

"The leaves of a Petilil are strong enough to revive anyone with merely a whiff of their scent." Kuro elaborated, "Your friend had it almost flushed out with the medicine you used. But she needed to finish the battle herself."

"I see." Rina muttered, then she told him, "Thank you for your aid."

"I don't understand." Sora pondered aloud, "I thought we were prisoners. Why would you aid us?"

"To test you. If you knew you were welcomed here, you would not be able to prevail over me in the face of adversity. Deception is a tool that can sometimes bring out the true nature in others." Sora was quite taken aback. He could not believe this had all been some illusion to help him battle at his true potential. He had to give respect to Sensei Kuro, who kept this illusion very real.

"Now, two things to heed you on." Sensei Kuro spoke sternly, "First, is to not lose hope. There will come many trials much like today, each directed to strike at your core, your self. Your friendship with the mermaid will be one of those. Only you can decide the course of fate for yourself." Looking back at Violet and Rina, Sora believed him to be right. When Rina decided to be known to the others, many would see it as a bad thing. Especially Prince Pewter and Princess Yolanda. That was one trial that would not be easy to solve. "Second," Kuro continued, "Is you have shown that, even in adversity, you will prevail. Therefore, this Prevail Badge rightfully goes to you." With a swift thrust from his hand, Kuro launched something to Sora, who caught it just as quick. The badge looked like a raindrop, but was black on one half of the face, and white on the second half.

Holding it up proudly, he cheered:

"Alright! I got the Prevail Badge!"

"Pi Pikachu!

"Larvitar!"

Just then, Sora began to feel woozy and light-headed. The world around him began to spin, making him nauseous. Then, he collapsed, and blacked out.

* * *

 _Sora! Can you hear me?_ someone called distantly.

 _Master, please get up!_ said another.

 _Oh Sora, please be alright. Open your eyes, please!_ another pleaded. As Sora regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was Prince Pewter, Tidus, and Yolanda all watching over him. Then Sora saw that he was back in the bamboo forest, near the _Aura_.

As Sora groggily got up, Yolanda cried, "You're okay! Thank heavens!"

"You had us all worried Sora." Prince Pewter came in, "I thought you said you would send word if you found the Chieftain."

Groaning a little, Sora told them, "Well, I did find him. Or rather, he found me. The Chieftain was a ninja, and he snuck up on me."

"A ninja? Really master?" Tidus quizzed.

"Yeah. He kept me prisoner, and we battled. I managed to beat him, somehow."

"How? Sora, we found you sprawled out here." Yolanda informed, "You've been missing for three days."

"That can't be right. I couldn't have been gone more than an hour."

"It's true Sora." Prince Pewter added, "It's been three days since you went into the woods. We were just getting ready to come find you."

As Sora's Pokémon began to come about, Tidus pointed out, "Hold on a second! Check out Master's staff." As Sora brought his staff up to view, they all noticed a second badge on the metal top, one that looked like a drop that was half black and half white. The Prevail Badge!

"There's the proof." Sora presented.

"So, then you were really attacked by a ninja?!" Yolanda gasped.

"Don't worry princess. It was all an illusion, to test my abilities."

"Some test." Prince Pewter grumbled, "Well, nothing we can do about it now. Let's make way for the next Chieftain."

"Alright!" Tidus cheered, "But, where do we go?" As if to answer his question, an arrow was shot at Sora's feet, a scroll flapping around it.

Taking the scroll from the arrow, Sora read, "Go to Salure Isle. There, your next trial awaits."

"Salure Isle!" Yolanda exclaimed, "I know that place! Brother, we must make haste at once!" Yanking her brother with her, Yolanda rushed back on deck.

"What got into the princess?" Sora asked.

"Beats me." Tidus answered.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu shrugged. So they boarded as well, ready for their next destination.

* * *

"Rina, please wake up!" Sarah called as her sister lay in their dinghy fort.

"Rina, please." Kari pleaded. Finally coming around, Rina rose up while rubbing her arms. "Phew! What a relief." Kari sighed.

"What happened in there?" Sarah asked. Looking up, Rina spotted Violet on the main mast, looking down at her.

Smiling, she replied, "I made a violet friend." Puzzled, the two younger mermaids tried to get more info from this new riddle as the _Aura_ made for the open sea. Next destination: Salure Isle.

* * *

 **Sora: Well, that last battle was pretty hairy.**

 **Rina: I'll say. But, I'm glad you're still here.**

 **Sora: Speaking of here, where did Kenneth go?**

 **Rina: And Sarah. Where did she run off to?**

 **Next time,**

 **Love on the High Seas**


	13. Chapter 10: Love on the High Seas

**Yo yo! Sorry this update is a day late. Been busy with my summer job and all. Gotta keep busy somehow.**

 **Anyway, this chapter introduces the last pairing between the humans and mermaids of the crew. And guess who those lucky people are?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its characters. All rights to Game Freak and Nintendo.**

* * *

Chapter 10:

Love on the High Seas

"Kenneth, secure the jib!" Drake barked out, "Sora, furl the sail on the front mast! Move it!"

"Aye aye." Kenneth replied, rushing to his task.

"On it captain!" Sora called out as he clambered up.

Curious, Prince Pewter came on deck with Teller and Opal and inquired, "What's the matter captain? Is another storm approaching?"

"Not today, my prince." Drake replied, "The waters here will carry us to a nearby island, where we'll rest before proceeding to the next Chieftain."

"What island could be out here?" Teller questioned.

As if to answer his question, Kenneth immediately shouted, "Land ho! Blanco Island, dead ahead!" And in the distance was an island with a dense jungle in the center, and white beaches as bright as crystal surrounding it.

"There it is." Drake whispered to himself, "Just like we planned."

"That's it!" Rina cried out, "Blanco Island!"

"The home of the best sunbath beaches in the world?!" Sarah asked excitedly.

"The one and only, little sister." Kari winked, "I'm pretty amazed Drake found such a place."

"It certainly looks beautiful." Rina sighed, "Wouldn't it be amazing if this is where we found our love?"

"Oh yes! Especially with Drake. Imagine…" Then, Kari daydreamed of her and Drake on those glistening beaches, the sun beginning to set. She imagined Drake on one knee, like one time she saw a human do, a ring in his hands.

But right at the big question, Sarah interrupted with a huff, "Puh-lease! Can you two seriously get your heads out of the silt?! Honestly. It's like I'm the only sane mermaid here! Humans and mermaids can never be together. End of story."

"Well, what about Sora and Rina?" Kari jibbed.

"Even that won't last. I'll respect Sora for his love of Pokemon, but that's it. No matter what you say, he's still a human." With a big 'harrumph', Sarah dove into the water, and swam off for the beaches.

Chuckling, Rina whispered, "Just like we planned."

"Now it's up to Drake and Sora to get that Kenneth person to be in position." Kari replied, "Then, we'll see what she thinks afterwards."

* * *

Immediately upon making landfall, the whole crew disembarked into the soft sand. Princess Yolanda had removed her footwear beforehand, and was enjoying the soft comfort of the sand beneath her feet. Tidus got dragged into playing with Sparky, and Cancer and Opal made sure to look out for them. Teller and Sketch were at work tracing the island layout while chronicling everything up to this point. Sora brought out some of his Pokémon to enjoy the coast and relax. Prince Pewter spotted some sand pits that were heated by geothermal vents, and allowed his Pokémon to relax there since most of them disliked water. As for Drake, he was keeping an eye out while relaxing under the sun's rays.

"Captain, sir." Kenneth saluted as he approached, "You said you had a task for me?"

"Aye, Kenneth." Drake replied, "Our berry supply has been running lower than I would like. Would you take a look and scavenge some more while we are here?"

"Aye captain. But, don't we already have a vast trove in the brig?"

"We did. But something seems to have scarfed most of it. We need a fresh batch soon."

"Understood." And with that, Kenneth took off for his errand.

After he left, Drake got up and snuck over to the water, signaling Sora to follow. As soon as Sora could break away, he snuck over to where Drake was, just on the other side of the ship, as their mermaid companions surfaced next to them.

"The plan is in motion." Drake told them.

"Great." Rina responded, "Sarah took off for the island before we landed. Knowing her, she'll probably be somewhere on the other side of the island."

"Good. Then it's all set." But then a thought crossed his mind. "Hey Sora, why is half our berry supply gone anyway?"

Scratching the back of his head, Sora told him, "Well, actually, it's a bit of a funny story."

"Do I even want to know?"

"We doubt it." both sisters sighed in unison.

* * *

Further down the coast, nearly on the other side of the island, Kenneth strolled along the tree line as he pondered his task. Something about it felt off to him, as Captain Drake was not known to let their stash get pilfered. Even more so, the captain's Arcanine was always on guard duty, making sure no one snuck in for a late-night snack.

"The only ones I know of that ever access to the storage are Sora, Opal, and the captain himself." Kenneth mulled over, "It makes no sense that we lost half our supply. Something fishy must be going on." Sadly for him, he wasn't having any luck finding berries to replenish their stock, and for good reason. Blanco Island had no berries to speak of. So then, why did he agree to collect what wasn't here in the first place?

Then, unexpectedly, Kenneth heard a girl's voice gripe, "Those two have their heads stuck in the clouds. It's like they live on land more than they live at home in the sea." Startled, Kenneth hid himself in the forest. He spotted the source of the voice, and was mesmerized by what he saw. It was a young maiden, maybe about his age, with long, blue hair and sapphire eyes. She was stroking her hair with a brush that looked like it was made out of coral. But the strangest thing to him was, from the waist down, she had a pink tail. A mermaid tail! This girl was a mermaid!

"It's like they don't even act like mermaids anymore." The mermaid continued to grumble, "All because they've gone Psyduck for those human boys." Kenneth was stunned by her words. There were more mermaids like her? And what did she mean when she mentioned human boys? Could the captain be in danger? What about Sora?

"Even so, I can't deny that I do feel a little left out." The mermaid spoke in a softer tone, "I may hide it from them, but sometimes I wonder if I could be like them. The way Rina was when she fell in love with Sora really changed her." Stopping midstroke, the mermaid taped the pearl tied around her neck, and a light came out and turned into a Piplup. "Wouldn't that be just amazing, to fall in love with a human? What do you think Piplup?"

"Pip pip lup?" Piplup replied, puzzled by his mistress's behavior.

"Well, you know, to just be in love with someone sounds like it would be amazing. And, with me being the youngest, I don't want to miss out."

"Piplup Piplup! Pip pip, lup."

"You're right. Guess because I am the youngest, I can help keep my sisters out of trouble."

"Lup."

Kenneth could not seem to take his eyes off of this strange maiden. He was never much of a curious sailor, but he wondered about this mermaid he had seen. She apparently had sisters, and one of them was in love with Sora. This was so hard for him to take in. And he didn't feel it would be right to just appear out of nowhere and startle her. He might scare her off, and never see her again. But, he wanted to at least get close to her. She seemed so… lonely.

Then, from out of the blue, a ginormous ape-looking Pokémon barraged its way out of the forest and out onto the beach. A Slaking, and an angry one to boot. It's raging stomps frightened Sarah and Piplup as it barreled towards them. Thinking fast, Piplup summoned a Whirlpool and slammed it into Slaking, who smashed right through it and continued thundering at them.

Deciding that there was no other options, Kenneth brought out his Pokéstone and summoned out, "Breloom, Mach Punch!" And from that light came a tall Pokémon that looked like it had a mushroom for a head. Breloom zipped into the path of the Slaking, and nailed it right in the gut, sending it back a bit. Taking a stand next to his partner, Kenneth assured, "No worries. I've got your back."

"Wait, who are—" Sarah began to say. But then, she stopped herself when she saw Kenneth. For some reason, she felt captivated by him. But why?

The Slaking didn't stay down for long, however, as it got up in a fit. Slaking roared in outrage, pounding its chest proudly. But Kenneth and Breloom braced themselves for a fight. Slaking tried shaking Breloom's confidence using Bulldoze, but Breloom jumped over the giant ape-Pokémon, ready to strike.

"Now Breloom, Energy Ball!" Breloom concentrated a green ball near its mouth, then launched it right at Slaking. It made impact, but Slaking looked unaffected. Breloom grimaced as it prepared to receive an attack, but it never came. Instead, Slaking just yawned, and didn't do much else.

"What was that all about?" Sarah questioned.

"Truant. It's Slaking's ability." Kenneth explained, "So it can't use consecutive attacks." That was Kenneth's only advantage at the moment. With Slaking's ability, he could figure out a way to subdue it. Only problem was, Truant was short-lived, as Slaking's anger got it active once more. It clobbered Breloom with a powerful Focus Punch. Breloom slammed hard into a tree, but refused to quit. It got up, ready for its next command.

"Alright Breloom, use Mach Punch!" Breloom dashed for its opponent, and started letting loose with a flurry of punches. Slaking once more seemed unfazed, and took all the hits like they were coming from a flurry of leaves. As Breloom retreated, Kenneth couldn't figure how he could beat this opponent. It was like he was going against a stone wall. But there had to be a way to beat it.

As Slaking came in for another Focus Punch, Kenneth called out, "Breloom, hit it with Stun Spore!" Then, Breloom released a cloud of orange-yellow spores into the air that descended upon the titan. As soon as Slaking was hit, it froze up. "Nice! Now send it flying with Mach Punch!" As fast as a blur, Breloom dealt a powerful uppercut to Slaking, and sent it flying back into the forest. And with that, peace resumed.

* * *

The instant the battle was over, Kenneth sat down as the adrenaline wore off. He may not like to admit it, but battling wasn't something he enjoyed as much as Sora did. Every time he did battle, it drained him in the process.

"Phew! Glad that's over." He sighed with relief.

Suddenly, the mermaid he protected flung herself onto him and cheered, "My hero! You saved me!"

"Aw, it was nothing." But then Piplup started chirping furiously at the mermaid, as if it was chastising her.

Letting go of Kenneth, she replied somberly, "Oh yeah. You're right Piplup." With one last glance at her savior, the mermaid began returning to the sea.

But before she even touched the water, Kenneth grabbed her wrist and asked, "Wait! Who are you? Please tell me." As the mermaid looked back at him, Kenneth saw in her eyes something he almost missed. She wanted to let him know her, and she wanted to know him too. She wanted desperately the chance to learn more. But there was something inside her holding her back.

Finally, after what seemed like a long internal struggle, she told him, "My name is Sarah."

"Sarah. What a lovely name." Kenneth returned, "My name's Kenneth. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sarah." Then, Sarah felt flustered by Kenneth's words, so much so that her cheeks brightened to a rosy-red. There was no point in her denying it anymore, for she may have found her answer.

Grabbing Kenneth's wrist, she urged, "Come with me." Without even replying, Kenneth found himself dragged into the ocean, leaving Breloom alone on the beach.

* * *

Back to the rest of the gang, most everyone was relaxing in the shade of the trees along the boundary line between the mangrove and the coast. However Sora, Tidus, Sparky, and a few of Sora's Pokémon were out splashing in the waters, having a blast in the warm waters.

Sitting up from her relaxation, Yolanda asked, "Sora, don't you want to come in? You have to be getting tired by now."

"Nope." Sora replied chipperly, "It's too much fun to rest." With that, Sora continued swimming and splashing with the others. This made Yolanda cross, as she wanted to spend some "quality" time with her future prince.

Chuckling, Prince Pewter comforted, "Be in good spirits, sister. Sora deserves some fun. He has been through a lot with the last two Chieftains."

"I know." She pouted, "But I wish he could also spend it with me."

As Tidus and Sparky were going back to shore to rest, Sora went deeper into the water, eventually diving under with Squirtle. The two swam out a ways, far beyond the others sight. When Sora was confident they were far enough, he and Squirtle surfaced. Once they did, Rina appeared right next to them.

"Thanks for coming out here Sora." She spoke first.

"You're welcome. Thanks for asking me out here." Sora replied, "It's been awhile since I went swimming out in the ocean with my Pokémon."

"Well then, shall we?" And with that, the two friends and Squirtle dove under.

* * *

In another region of the sea, Sarah was guiding Kenneth through the coral-crusted depths, her spirit beaming with glee. Kenneth, however, was frantically clawing at both her hand, and his throat. Sarah failed to notice this for a while, until Piplup brought it to her attention.

 _Uh, mistress?_ He prodded, _Should humans be turning blue down here?_ When Sarah looked back, she noticed Kenneth's face going blue, and his cheeks expanding as he tried to retain what little air he had left. Frantic, she yanked Kenneth to the surface. As soon as they broke through, Kenneth not only gasped for air, but frantically flailed his arms around to keep himself from drowning.

After he found a rock to cling to, Sarah reconciled, "I'm so sorry Kenneth. I forgot that you can't breathe underwater like I can. I feel so ashamed."

"I'm the one who should be apologizing." Kenneth responded, "I should've told you, I can't swim. Can't go very far without sinking like a Golem."

 _Some human._ Piplup scoffed.

Outraged, Sarah scolded, "Take that back Piplup!"

 _Hey, it's the truth. The guy can't even swim._ Sarah became quite fuming mad at Piplup's behavior.

With a huff, she returned him to her pearl, muttering, "That's enough out of you."

Kenneth was quite puzzled by the sudden behavior, but he let it go. His dilemma was more of a puzzle for Sarah to solve.

"So, why can't you swim?" she asked him after settling down, "Shouldn't you know how to if you're a sailor?"

"True." Kenneth replied, "But, I just always seem to be afraid to swim. I had a little bit of an incident when I was younger. That made me afraid to ever swim again."

"And yet you sail?"

"I may be afraid to swim, but not to venture out to sea. Sailing comes much easier for me. And, I've got a little insurance." Bringing out his Pokéstone, Kenneth called out, "Let's go, Floatzel!" And from it came his water-weasel Pokémon, Floatzel.

"Hey wow, you have a Floatzel." Sarah admired, "Cool. Actually, I have a Pokémon like him too." Tapping her pearl, Sarah summoned another water-weasel Pokémon that was much smaller than Floatzel. It was her Buizel. "This is Buizel."

"Well, how do you do Buizel?"

 _Pfft. Like I'm gonna say hi to someone like you._ Buizel huffed.

 _Hey! Show some respect shrimp._ Floatzel warned.

 _Oh yeah. You wanna make me?_ Kenneth may not understand Water Pokémon, but even he knew that a fight was about to go down by noticing their glaring at each other. And Buizel had somehow started it with its aloof behavior earlier.

"Alright, enough you two." Sarah intervened with a stern tone, "Buizel, please don't start anything. This is Kenneth, my new friend. He saved me from a Slaking."

 _Oh hooray. He took down a lazy ape._ The water weasel yawned. This was becoming bothersome. Buizel was a proud Pokémon, and only recognized trainers based on their strength against him. He would not respect anyone otherwise.

"Um, why don't we get moving, before things go wrong." Kenneth suggested.

"Good idea." Sarah agreed, "Buizel, play nice or I won't let you out ever again."

 _Fine._ Buizel sighed. So, having settled that, Kenneth held onto Floztzel as the group dove under once more.

* * *

Not too far away, Sora and Rina were exploring undersea life around Blanco Island. Sora was amazed at all the different Pokémon he was discovering down here. He spotted Huntail, Seadra, Chinchou, and Feebas. He also saw Starmie, Clamperl, Binacle, and Luvdisc closer to the floor. It was like a Pokémon utopia down here.

Sora was amazed at all the life he was seeing in a place like this. As for Rina, she was happy to get this chance with him. It felt like a dream come true for her. She was so giddy with excitement that she began swimming around Sora in a playful manner.

"Isn't this amazing Sora?" she asked him gleefully, "It always feels… so magical down here." Sora looked down at his Squirtle, who nodded back at his master.

 _It sure is wonderful down here._ Sora told Rina, _I can't believe that there is all these different Pokémon living down here._

Confused, Rina inquired, "What do you mean Squirtle? You should be used to seeing this."

 _That wasn't me talking, miss. I was relaying Sora's thoughts for him._

"Wait, what? But Squirtle, you can't read Sora's thoughts. And I know humans can't communicate with Pokémon."

 _Yeah. But Sora's different. You knew that._

"Well yes, but—"

 _Sora can talk to us from his heart. We connect to him on a much deeper level than almost all other Pokémon trainers. Even if we don't understand each other at first, our connection with Sora helps us to grow stronger and closer together._ Rina was stunned. She knew Sora connected with his Pokémon on a much deeper level, but she never figured he went so deep as his heart. And Rina knew Squirtle was telling the truth. She could feel it between him and Sora. It was the same with Sora, Pikachu, and all his other Pokémon Sora had. That alone seemed to captivate her even more.

Just as Rina was about to swim closer, Sora turned around and looked behind him.

 _Looks like Sora spotted something._ Squirtle informed.

"But what? I didn't see anything."

 _Yeah, I didn't feel anything either. But Sora somehow did._ This puzzled Rina quite a bit. But then Sora gestured for Rina to follow, and swam away. So Rina did, though still lost in thought about how peculiar Sora was.

After that, the two spotted Sarah and Kenneth exploring around the reefs. Kenneth was hanging onto Floatzel as they swam around. But what was stranger was Sarah's behavior. She was simply ecstatic, swimming around and playing with Kenneth, and he seemed to be enjoying it. Sora and Rina were quite surprised. They thought it would take the whole day for Sarah to even remotely like Kenneth. But here she was, acting as if she and Kenneth were childhood friends.

"I don't understand." Rina muttered, "Sarah was the most dead set against loving a human. How can she be so close to Kenneth so fast?"

After looking up to Sora, Squirtle relayed, _Maybe Sarah was trying to hide another side of herself. And maybe, she just was insecure about revealing this side of her._

"But why would she hide this side of her from and me and Kari?"

 _Who can say? But I can tell you that she really likes Kenneth. Which means, mission accomplished._ It certainly was. They had done it.

* * *

Towards the afternoon, Sarah and Kenneth began heading back to the _Aura_. As they approached, Kenneth directed Sarah to swim under the ship. As he did, they spotted an opening in the bottom of the hull. Sarah was very puzzled, but Kenneth brought her up. They ended up in a separate room at the bottom of the ship. This room was sparsely filled with cargo, and outfitted with three, low-hanging hammocks.

"What is this?" Sarah wondered aloud.

"It's a separate compartment Captain Drake had built when we docked at Silver Island." Kenneth explained, "Though he never told me why. I was lucky we made the hole so that water can't get in easily, and special doors for when storms roll in."

"And yet you never asked why I had it built." Came Drake's voice. Then, the two saw the captain came down the stairs, and then Kari appeared from one of the hammocks surrounding the makeshift pool.

"C-Captain!" Kenneth gasped, "It-It's not what you think!"

"Kari! What are you doing here?!"

With a chuckle, Kari replied, "It's alright you two. We know."

"You… know?" Kenneth questioned.

"Sorry Kenneth." Drake elaborated, "I sent you off not only to get more berries, but also to have you run into Sarah."

"You did WHAT?!" both Sarah and Kenneth screamed.

"Easy. We didn't think it would work out this well." Kari told them, "Besides, looks like it worked out for you two."

Before the two could ask more, Sora and Rina surfaced right behind them. Immediately, Sora was perplexed by the room he found himself in.

"What is this?" he wondered.

"S-Sora?!" Kenneth exclaimed, "So you do have a mermaid with you?!"

"Oh, hey Kenneth. Hey Sarah." Now Kenneth was even more confused. Why was he the only one who seemed out of the loop?

"Looks like we have some explaining to do. Again." Rina sighed.

"Before that, you left your Breloom on shore Kenneth. Not a smart idea." And immediately, Breloom bounded out from behind the captain and next to his partner.

"Hey there Breloom, sorry for leaving you back there." Kenneth said as he petted his friend.

"Me too. Sorry Breloom." Sarah apologized as well. With that finally settled, the explaining could begin.

* * *

In another region of the world, three strange figures looked into a crystal ball observing the three pairs.

"So, they have all found them." One of the figures observed.

"I never thought they could. This is, like, really bad." Another worried.

Then the third, wielding a trident, spoke, "We cannot allow this to continue. We must separate them from each other. Starting with these two." Then, the image focused on Sora and Rina. "We have to, for our little sister's sake. We must protect her from the evil of humans."

* * *

Sora: Where are you Rina? And, where are we?

Rina: Here I am, Sora. Sora?

Sora: What's wrong Rina?

Rina: What is that blue fire around you?

Next time,

The Mega Aura


	14. Chapter 11: The Mega Aura (Redirection)

**Hey guys. Sorry if you were hoping this would be an update to the story, but actually it isn't.**

 **I looked over the rules for , and one of them was not including original songs. And sadly, this chapter does have a song in it that I'm not confident I won't get reprimanded for putting it up. So, this chapter is actually to redirect to where the original chapter is on my deviantart profile.**

 **New chapter:**

 **art/**

 **The-Guardian-and-Maiden-of-the-Sea-**

 **Ch-11-509413507**

 **Put this all together, and you'll get to read the next chapter. Just letting you know, you will want to read this chapter before tomorrow's update. If you don't, you'll really miss out. I mean it.**

 **Enjoy.**


	15. Chapter 12: In the Mouth of the Dragon

**WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER VIA THE LINK PROVIDED, GO BACK IMMEDIATELY AND READ IT OR YOU WILL MISS WHAT HAS HAPPENED!**

 **Hey there readers, I am back! Summer work can be fun, but it does make me miss putting these stories up. But, at least the breaks give me time to work on them in print.**

 **Anyways, now we move on with Sora's journey. Gonna say once more, read the previous chapter because it has important info for what's gonna happen in this chapter. Because we get to see an intense battle between Sora(Ash) and his fierce rival from Tyrannia. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its characters. All rights to Nintendo and Game Freak.**

* * *

Chapter 12:

In the Mouth of the Dragon

Sora stood poised on the deck, facing his teacher Lucario, staff held ready in a battle stance. Pikachu, Larvitar, Yolanda, and Tidus were on the side watching him train. Sora may have been new to this training regime, but he had to master it to become a better Aura Guardian. When Lucario gave him the signal, Sora willed his aura into the staff. In a blue blaze, it changed into his Aura Sword. Geared with this, Sora charged Lucario and swung hard. However, Lucario used Bone Rush to block the attack, then swung at his legs to trip him up. Pressing his makeshift bow staff against the guardian, Lucario signified his loss. As Sora's staff returned to normal, the others hurried over to see if he was alright.

"Sora, are you okay?" Yolanda asked worriedly.

Grimacing a little, Sora told her, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"That had to hurt master." Tidus spoke, "But, I'll bet you'll get the hang of it before long." Sora, however, wasn't convinced. He doubted that he would ever get to master using his new sword. He never wanted to use a sword because of how dangerous a weapon it was. Frustrated with himself, Sora threw down his staff, startling his friends. Then he stormed to the side in a fit.

Once there, Sora growled, "Why can't I do this? I'm an Aura Guardian! I have to be a master of my powers. So why can't I master a sword?!" Looking up at his partner in worry, Pikachu approached the fuming youth. He rarely ever saw Sora get so mad like he was now. But any time he did, it concerned Pikachu that Sora could lash out like he was doing.

Coming up behind him, after picking up his staff, Prince Pewter comforted, "Sora, you must never fear the slow and steady course. It often takes warriors quite a while to master an art. Your learning to use the sword is no different."

"Yeah, I know." Sora replied, dejected.

"You don't need to worry about Ragnar or Tyrannia. While you are battling the Chieftains, no one is to interfere in your quest. I've already sent word to the ruler of Tyrannia about your challenge. You have nothing to worry about." But the look on Sora's face didn't look convinced by the prince's assurance. He was still clearly concerned with mastering his sword, and his lack of progress in the matter. So then, he offered, "How about I teach you how to use a sword."

Stunned by the offer, Sora inquired, "But how? You're the prince of Aurora."

"Exactly. And being the prince means I must master fencing, which I have. So I'm more than qualified to teach you." Seeing no way around it, Sora took up Prince's Pewter to be trained.

A little bit later found Rina scaling the side ladder to see how Sora was doing in his training with Lucario. But when she managed to take a peak onto the deck, she spotted him facing the prince, and Lucario was off to the side with the others. Curious, Rina watched as Sora's training began.

"The first thing you should know is that the sword isn't some piece of dead steel." Prince Pewter lectured, "When you wield it, it becomes a part of you, like an extra-long, rather sharp arm." Drawing forth his rapier, the prince continued, "The sword is the most versatile of any weapon. Just as the ability of a warrior is limitless, so too are the possibilities of the sword."

Willing his Aura Sword, Sora asked, "So, my sword can be more than just a tool for fighting?"

"Exactly. It can be however you want it to be. But you must treat it like it is a part of you. Just like your Pokémon are an extension of yourself." Nodding in understanding, Sora held out his sword in a ready position. Prince Pewter did likewise with his rapier, blade pointed down. Rina found it odd that the prince was teaching Sora to use a sword, but she also seemed to understand his reasons behind it. She figured Sora had always been used to using his staff. So learning to use a sword was a whole new experience for him. But, she was eager to see how Sora would tackle this challenge.

When Prince Pewter came in with a stab at Sora, the guardian blocked by knocking the blade to the side. Then, unexpectedly, Sora lunged forward and had the prince at sword point. Everyone gasped I astonishment at this feat. Even Sora was surprised. So much so, that he dropped his sword when he realized what he had done. How did he do that? That was the prevailing question he and Rina had.

"Well, looks like there is some innate ability within you." The prince chuckled, "Why don't we try to hone it?" Picking up his sword, Sora continued learning to use his new weapon under Prince Pewter's tutelage.

"Psst! Rina." The mermaid heard her sister Kari call out in a hushed shout, "How's Sora's training going?"

Diving back into the water with a quiet splash, Rina told her, "He's… working on it. But, he seems a little reluctant with this new power of his."

"That shouldn't be such a big surprise. You do realize the only kind of battling Sora likes to do is Pokémon battles, right? Of course he's a little hesitant."

"I know. But I'm worried that the hesitation he carries will harm him in some way. What if it costs him his… life?"

Resting a hand on her shoulder, Kari comforted, "From what I've seen, that hesitation is a sign of a greater strength. One that I've never seen in any other human." Letting her words hang, Kari dove back to their secret room. But Rina looked back up, hearing grunting and clanging as Sora and the prince practiced.

"Hesitation." She muttered to herself, "It's a sign of a greater strength?"

* * *

The next day, the crew docked in Port Costa. Here, Drake hoped to restock on some much needed supplies, as well as barter for new gear for their voyage. The others took the time during so to explore the port town. Sadly, there was not much to see in regards to people. Very few denizens were actually out and about, and the few that were squatted in garbage so foul it made Skuntank stink seem like a field of flowers. In addition, strange Pokémon that were later identified to be Trubbish also milled about those garbage heaps. So everyone steered clear of those, and ventured to an inn further into town.

The inn was a small building, but was quite long to house the vast quantity of rooms. When the group entered, they noticed there was someone at the helpdesk, who wore a nurse's attire and had pink hair tied in two hair loops.

"Hello. Welcome to the Pokémon Inn." She greeted, "I'm the innkeeper, Keeper Joy. How may I assist you?" In the instant he saw the innkeeper, Prince Pewter began seeing hearts.

"Beautiful maiden, I think I've found love!" he moaned. Jetting over to her, he smooth-talked, "Hello, pretty miss. We'll need rooms to house seven visitors, and one special room for you and me."

"I beg your pardon?" Keeper Joy inquired.

"Well you see, my dear," the prince continued, "You are in the presence of a great royal. And I do recall that the customer is always right. Isn't that right?"

But then, Tidus yanked him away by the ear, grumbling, "And this is where you are always wrong."

Yet despite the drama being averted, Sparky cried out, "An innkeeper! That settles it! You're a keeper! You'd make a perfect wife for Cancer!"

"Sparky, I've told you a million times to stop!" Cancer freaked out, then he summoned, "Chespin, use Vine Whip!" And out of his Pokéstone came a brown, beaver-looking Pokémon with a green head and spikes. Chespin then shot out vines and carried Sparky over to Cancer. As Cancer pulled her away, he huffed, "We'll talk more about this later!"

Determined, Sparky giggled, "Think about it, Ms. Joy."

Slightly embarrassed, Yolanda requested, "We'll take six rooms, please."

"Of course." Keeper Joy replied, "And, I can take a look at your Pokémon and make sure they are all in perfect health."

"That would be much appreciated." Sketch spoke up, "Our Pokémon could all use a good checkup." But, Sora had other plans.

Heading for the door, he told everyone, "You all go on ahead. I'll catch up later on."

Puzzled, Yolanda called back, "Where do you think you're going?"

"To train." He answered, "Got to be ready for my next Chieftain battle. I won't be long." And with that, he took off for the outskirts of the port.

* * *

Later, in a remote region of the island, Rina had surfaced in a lake somewhat inland. She used the river that connected to the ocean to explore the new landscape in hopes of either finding new Water Pokémon to bond with, or to find where Sora decided to train. She felt like she needed to stop being so concerned about if Sora was gonna be alright. With his Pokémon beside him, he could handle anything. Besides, she was feeling pretty ecstatic about this new place. And she wondered what new Pokémon she would find.

Just then, while she was lost in thought, she heard a Pokémon cry out to her right. An Azurill was surrounded by a trio of Farfetch'd, cornering it near the lake. The Farfetch'd pressed toward the little tyke, savoring the sheer horror it displayed on its face. It wouldn't be too long before they would be close enough to attack without mercy. Rina couldn't believe the Farfetch'd would gang up on a little Azurill like they were doing. It just wasn't fair, and it wasn't right of them to bully it.

Having seen enough, Rina tapped her pearl and called out, "Corsola, stop them!" With that, Corsola appeared near Azurill, surprising the Farfetch'd in the process. They were stunned by its appearance at first, but then merely laughed afterwards. That just made Corsola mad. "Corsola, Spike Cannon!" Aiming its horns at the ducks with sticks, Corsola fired a volley of shots that caught them by surprise. Having recovered, the three tried to gang up and use Cut. "Tackle Attack!" As fast as an arrow, Corsola tackled all three Farfetch'd, sending their sticks flying. Weaponless, and facing a Pokémon as steamed as a Tauros, the Farfetch'd quickly got wise and led with their tail feathers between their legs.

With that settled, Rina recalled Corsola back to her pearl and swam over to the traumatized Azurill. Rina knew Azurill weren't technically Water-type Pokémon, but they had some traits that were similar to those of most Water types. It was when they evolved into Marill that Azurill became a Water type. Still, Rina slowly approached the baby Pokémon so she could calm it down without scaring it.

"It's alright." She spoke softly, "Those bullies are gone now."

"Azu?" Azurill perked up, but then cringed back.

"It's okay. I'm a friend. My name is Rina." She then offered her hand, hoping to calm the little tyke down. Azurill took a while to react, but it eventually looked back up to see Rina offering her hand. Slowly, it started stretching out its tail to the stranger, beginning to overcome its initial shock. When all of a sudden, Azurill ran away. Rina wondered what was wrong, until she was hit by a powerful electric attack. The shock caused Rina to pass out, and she fell onto the rim of the lake. Then, a shadow came over to her and pulled her out of the water, revealing her mermaid tail.

"So, those three were right." The figure pondered, "He did befriend a mermaid. Then, it's time to settle this."

* * *

Reaching a certain point in the woods, Sora, Pikachu, and Larvitar stopped and took a look around. This area looked as good a place as any to begin training, with very few Pokémon around to get hurt, and the trees spaced out nicely enough so there were no obstructions.

With his two friends hopping down from his shoulders, Sora told them, "Let's train here."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"Lar Lar." Larvitar said likewise. Having settled that, Sora willed his staff into the Aura Sword, and drew it from behind him. After that, he instructed Pikachu to use Iron Tail to help him perfect his technique.

With Pikachu's small stature and nimble movements, it was perfect for the guardian to practice defense and work on his reflexes. But Pikachu's Iron Tail was nothing to sneeze at, as it was still hard to hold back upon impact. But Sora held firm, and continued doing his best.

Suddenly, while in the middle of the exercise, a Shadow Ball crashed between them from somewhere. Gathering together, Sora and his two Pokémon looked around to find their attackers.

"Who's there?! Show yourselves!" he demanded. From the woods, like shadows of the night, three hooded figures approached, a Pumpkaboo floating beside one of them.

 _Prepare for trouble, from in this wood._

 _Make it double, we make bad look good._

 _To protect the world from devastation._

 _To unite all peoples within our nation._

 _To denounce the evils of truth and love._

 _To extend our reach to the stars above._

 _Jessica!_

 _Jameson!_

 _The kingdom of Tyrannia sets off with speed and might!_

 _Surrender now, or prepare to fight!_

 _Meowth, that's right!_

"You guys again?!" Sora gritted, "What do you want?!"

"Pikachu!"

"What we want is simple: that Pikachu." Jessica told him.

"Forget it! You're not getting Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

"Larvitar!"

"This isn't a discussion, guardian." Jameson came in, "It's our job to get that Pikachu, for the glory of Tyrannia."

"Maybe you haven't heard, but you are not supposed to interfere in my challenge with the Island Chieftains."

"Like we care about rules." Jessica scoffed.

Taking notice to the new addition, Meowth tried to point out, "Hey, didn't da twerp have a staff? Why's he got steel on 'im?" Remembering that he still had his Aura Sword out, Sora hid it behind his back before the other two saw what Meowth saw. He silently willed his aura to change it back into a staff, then brought out his traditional tool.

"Now guardian," Jessica tried to coax, "hand over the Pikachu."

"No deal!" Sora roared back, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Just as Pikachu was prepping its attack, Jessica barked, "Pumpkaboo, Leach Seed!" Then, Pumpkaboo shot out a few seeds at Pikachu's feet, missing it entirely. But then, vines grew from where they landed, and constricted Pikachu. From there, they began sucking its energy, thus halting the attack.

"Pikachu!" Sora cried out.

"Helpless, like you always will be." Jameson taunted, "Yamask, go get it!" Summoning a dark Pokémon holding a mask underneath it, he sent Yamask to take the ensnared electric mouse.

"Don't think I'm done yet!" Sora retorted, "Larvitar, use Bite!" Jumping onto Yamask, Larvitar bit hard on it and dealt major damage.

"Little pest!" Jessica growled, "Pumpkaboo, Dark Pulse!" As Pumpkaboo launched a dark wave at the rock child, Larvitar leaped out of danger with relative ease.

"Try Hidden Power!" With spheres appearing around it, Larvitar launched its Hidden Power at the pumpkin-ghost Pokémon, knocking it down.

"Yamask, Night Shade!" But before the attack was sent, Larvitar used one of its defenses: Screech. This time, however, Sora and Pikachu were ready for it, and managed to block out most of the noise. Their opponents, on the other hand, got the full brunt of the attack, and failed to launch any attacks in response. Then, something strange began to happen. Larvitar gained a white outline as a power rose from it. Then, it lifted its arms, and summoned rocks that entrapped Yamask.

"Awesome Larvitar!" Sora cheered, "You learned Rock Tomb!"

"Pika!"

"Lar! Lar!" Larvitar cheered. And thanks to its new attack, Pikachu was freed from the Leech Seed.

"You alright buddy?" Sora inquired. Pikachu replied with a firm look and intense gaze. "Okay then. Use Thunderbolt!"

But while it prepped its attack, Jameson called out, "Yamask, Shadow Ball!"

"Shadow Ball, Pumpkaboo!" So those two launched dark orbs at Pikachu.

Accompanying the attacks, Meowth cried out, "Try my Fury Swipes on for size!" But Larvitar got in their way again, ready to defend.

"Larvitar, Rock Tomb!" And with it, Larvitar summoned boulders that blocked the Shadow Balls, and turned Meowth into a pancake. "Now, go for it Pikachu!"

With electricity ready, Pikachu cried out, "PIKACHUUUU!" And an arc of electricity descended onto the Tyrannian trio.

But then, another Thunderbolt shot forward and cancelled out Pikachu's Thunderbolt, startling the heroes. Looking up to find they had been spared, the trio began to wonder how they had averted such an inevitable fate.

"Did we do that?" Jameson pondered aloud.

"We must have!" Jessica answered cheerfully, "It must have been one of our incantations that protected us."

"Ah yes! That must have been it."

"But we don't know any spells ta deflect a Thunderbolt." Meowth responded.

"Correct!" came a stern voice, "That honor belongs to me." Approaching the group, accompanied by an Electivire, was Ragnar the relentless.

"Ragnar?!" Sora gasped. Pikachu hunched over, ready to fight, while Larvitar ran and hid behind Sora's leg.

"So, Sora, I heard you've been busy. Having been challenged by the Eight Island Chieftains, I wager." Ragnar said to his rival.

Growling, Sora asked, "How do you know I was challenged by the Island Chieftains?"

"These three buffoons spied on your battle with the first Chieftain. Very impressive… for a useless nobody."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shot.

"But now," Ragnar continued, "You face a true challenge. Me!"

Picking up Larvitar, Sora replied, "Not today Ragnar. I am not obligated to battle you for Aurora. And besides, you are not to interfere in my challenge. Prince Pewter told me so. You'll just have to wait until I defeat all 8 Chieftains." With that, Sora began walking away with Pikachu and Larvitar.

As they did, Ragnar chuckled cruelly, "What if the stakes were not a kingdom, but someone's life? Would that change your mind guardian?" That made Sora stop. But he didn't turn to face Ragnar, for fear it was a trick.

Instead, he responded, "What life?"

"Let's just say… a certain fish of interest. Particularly to you."

"I have no idea what you are referring to."

"Then let me show you." Sora turned his head to catch a glimpse of Ragnar conjuring a vapory image in his hand. When he tossed it up, the cloud expanded, and the image became clearer. What was in it made Sora, Pikachu, and Larvitar all gasp in unison. Floating in a dark area, appearing unconscious, was Rina!

"Rina?!" Sora gasped silently, then shouted, "What have you done to her Ragnar?!"

"Nothing for the moment." He answered nonchalantly, "But if you don't accept my challenge, who knows what'll happen to her."

"That's low, Ragnar! Even for you!"

"Pika Pikachu!"

"Well then, what's your answer gonna be?" Sora didn't even have a choice in the matter. He wasn't sure how Ragnar discovered Rina, but he knew he couldn't refuse. But he didn't trust Ragnar with this battle. So Sora whispered something to Pikachu, and it took off.

"Alright Ragnar." Ragnar finally answered, "We will battle." Exactly as Ragnar had planned.

"Then follow me, guardian." And he led him, Larvitar, and the Tyrannian trio deeper into the woods.

* * *

From there, Ragnar led everyone to the only lake on the island. And floating over the center of the lake, with a weird aura surrounding her, was Rina. But Sora kept his cool and hid his emotions. He couldn't let Ragnar see how much his having captured Rina was tormenting him.

As she hovered towards the trio, he instructed, "Keep an eye on her for me."

"Yes, your Highness." They bowed.

"What are the battle conditions?" Sora inquired.

"Three battles. Best two out of three wins." Ragnar informed, "No help."

"Very well." With that, the battle commenced.

"Magmortar, standby for battle!" And from Ragnar's staff came a huge red, yellow, and orange Fire Pokémon. Sora tightened the grip on his staff, steeling himself for this confrontation.

Ready, he called out, "I choose you, Staraptor!" From his staff came a gray-and-white falcon Pokémon with a red streak on the crest on its head. With both Pokémon out, Sora made the first move by ordering, "Staraptor, use Aerial Ace!" Becoming a blinding streak of light, Staraptor dove straight for Magmortar.

But Ragnar retaliated with, "Magmortar, use Smog!" So Magmortar unleashed a billowing cloud obscuring Staraptor's sight. However, the tactic failed, as Staraptor sliced straight into the Fire Pokémon with relative ease.

"Nice try." Sora retorted, "But Aerial Ace never misses when used."

"Hmph! The battle just started." Ragnar replied, "Magmortar, Flamethrower!" Turning its arm into a barrel, Magmortar shot at Staraptor to bring it down.

"Staraptor, Close Combat!" Diving through the tongues of fire, Staraptor descended and used its wings and talons to deliver some devastating combos. Even though Magmortar had taken a lot of damage already, it looked relatively unfazed. And as Staraptor returned to Sora's side of the field, it winced as if it had suffered some kind of injury. "Staraptor, what's wrong?!" Sora asked. Then, he sensed something through his aura. Closing his eyes, he looked at Staraptor's aura, and found there was a burn on its left wing.

"Pretty nice ability, Flame Body." Rangar chuckled, "A Pokémon that makes contact with Magmortar runs the risk of getting burned."

"This battle is far from over Ragnar. Brave Bird!" So Staraptor charged at Magmortar, a blue light engulfing it as it soared. Burned or not, Sora doubted Magmortar could withstand this attack. But as the attack was still on its way, Rina suddenly cried out in pain. When Sora looked over to her, he saw that Meowth had scratched her with its claw. He and the other two looked at Sora villainously, as the talking Pokémon made a move to make one more cut.

Fearing for her, Sora called back, "Staraptor, stop the attack!" Surprised by its master's command, Staraptor stopped just short of hitting Magmortar.

"Hesitation like that is fatal, Sora." Ragnar smiled, then ordered, "Fire Punch!" And Magmortar delivered a fire-infused blow to Staraptor, sending it hurtling into a nearby tree. When Sora went to check it out, it had fainted.

"The first round goes to me." Ragnar proclaimed victoriously.

"Wonderful young prince." Jameson cheered.

"You are your father's son." Jessica complemented. But Sora knew it wasn't a true victory. He didn't know if Ragnar had planned to pressure him using Rina, but it wasn't an honest win.

And as Ragnar returned Magmortar to his staff, he growled, "You shouldn't have been so easily overtaken. What a weakling!"

 _There he goes again,_ Sora thought to himself, _discrediting his Pokémon's hard work. When will he learn?_ Still, he let it go, and recalled Staraptor.

"You were amazing Staraptor." He told it, "I couldn't be more proud. Now take a good, long rest."

"Now, Electivire, go!" And Ragnar's Electivire stepped forward to challenge Sora.

Staying strong, Sora summoned, "I choose you, Gible!" And out came his Gible, looking eager to battle or chomp on someone's head. But Ragnar laughed at his opponent's choice.

"You're sending another weakling against me?" he guffawed.

"Big things come in small packages." Sora replied.

"Hmph! Electivire, Thunderbolt!" And Electivire shot out tendrils of electricity at the land shark, which hit their target. However, Gible seemed unfazed by the electricity, and looked confused. Larvitar just laughed at Ragnar's big blunder, rolling around next to Sora. Both Sora and Ragnar knew that Ground-types like Gible were immune to electric attacks, but that just made Ragnar seethe. So he called out, "Hit it with Brick Break!"

"Use Dig to dodge it!" And just as Electivire was slamming its arm onto it, Gible disappeared beneath the ground. By the time Electivire could react, Gible came up from beneath and nailed Electivire in the face.

"Blast! Retaliate with Iron Tail!" With its twin tails, Electivire slammed Gible back. But Gible recovered rather quickly, looking eager to keep going.

"Gible, use Crunch!"

"Pound it into the earth with Brick Break!" Gible sailed for Electivire, mouth wide open for a Crunch, while Electivire shot its fist towards Gible. And when the impact was made, everyone froze in shock.

Electivire looked to its fist, and found Gible securely clamped onto it. Enraged, Electivire tried shaking it off by throwing its fist around. But no matter what it did, Gible was stuck on there and was not letting go. And as the electric titan made a clown of itself, Sora and Larvitar just burst out laughing. The Tyrannian trio also let out loud chuckles, but were quickly hushed by Ragnar's cold stare.

"Electivire, get that puny thing off of you!" But Electivire had tired itself out. All the thrashing and tossing it did just tuckered it out.

With Gible on the ground, Sora commanded, "Now Gible, Draco Meteor!"

"You're dreaming." Ragnar scoffed, "Gible can't learn Draco Meteor." But he was surprised when Gible, despite its being small, lifted Electivire into the air. With its body glowing orange with power, it let out a ball of light that launched Electivire out of its mouth and into the air. Then, the ball exploded into dozens of meteors, which crashed onto Electivire mid-fall. It crashed into the ground shortly following, and fainted.

"Alright! A win for us!" Sora cheered, until Gible chomped down on his head in excitement. Thanking his friend, Sora returned Gible to his staff, then rubbed his head from the bite. Ragnar, however, wore the same scowl he always wore as he recalled his Electivire.

"Beaten by a small fry?! Pathetic!" he growled.

"I thought Electivire did really well." Sora said to his rival, "And Magmortar too. Both of them were very awesome."

"Larvitar Lar." Larvitar agreed.

"Hmph! You're so naïve." Ragnar huffed, "Pokémon are nothing if they aren't strong. Weak Pokémon have no right to exist! What good are they?!"

In reply, Sora sighed, "You still haven't learned. And if you don't, you won't win this battle, or ever defeat me."

"Speaking of win, weren't we supposed to do some damage to the mermaid if the guardian was winning?" Jessica whispered to her allies.

"How could we stop him?" Jameson posed silently, "He called on Draco Meteor. We couldn't stop that."

"Yeah." Meowth schemed, "Besides, we need da prince ta win, but not if he knows we're the ones getting' him ta win. That last outcry almost blew da whole operation."

"So we'll do it with this final battle." Jessica suggested.

"Right. He only needs to lose one more. Then we'll claim victory."

Prepared for the final battle, the two opponents called out their final Pokémon.

"Aggron, standby for battle!"

"Sceptile, I choose you!"

And the wood gecko Pokémon Sceptile faced a tall, dinosaur-like Pokémon with a rock brown body and white steel on its back and head. The time for taunts and jeers had passed. The battle was about to begin.

"Aggron, Flash Cannon!" So Aggron started the battle with a beam of grey and white light, shooting it at Sceptile fiercely.

"Sceptile, dodge it!" Sceptile swiftly moved out of the way, the twig in its mouth narrowly avoiding the attack. Aggron shot a few more shots at Sceptile, but the gecko Pokémon ducked and dodged them all with relative ease.

When it had moved close enough, Sora called, "Use Leaf Blade!" The two leaves on its arms glowed with energy, extending out a little bit as well. Then, Scepilte sliced across Aggron's torso, and jumped back after dealing the blow.

"Agron, use Thunderbolt!" Ragnar barked.

"Thunderbolt?!" Sora gasped.

"Lar?" Larvitar quizzed. Somehow, Aggron charged electricity throughout its body, and shot two arcs of it at Sceptile. Sceptile bore the attack as best as it could, then shook it off shortly after.

"There you go Sceptile." Sora cheered, "Now use Slam!"

"Iron Tail back!" Ragnar commanded. So the two met in a clash of tails. It was like a sword fight between the two Pokémon, each parrying and deflecting the other's efforts to land a direct hit. The last clash pushed both Pokémon back, each sizing up the other on their next move.

"You're the same as ever Sora." Ragnar muttered aloud, "Naïve, weak, and vulnerable."

"You haven't changed a bit either Ragnar." Sora replied.

"Oh, but I have changed. Because now, I have made things even between us." Then, Ragnar lifted his left arm, showing a bracelet with a rainbow-colored stone inside it. A Keystone! "You thought you were the only trainer besides those Chieftains who could Mega Evolve your Pokémon? Please." he scoffed, "Grow up Sora!" Tapping his Keystone, Ragnar summoned out tendrils of light that snaked to Aggron, who in turn had tendrils meet the others.

"Keystone, grant me the power to overcome my foes!"

"Mega Evolve!"

With the transformation, Aggron gained a layer of steel padding that covered its rocky body, and making it bulkier. With it complete, the light around Aggron soon faded, revealing Mega Aggron. But Sora wasn't startled by this revelation. Having met two trainers who could use Mega Evolution, Sora knew he wasn't the only one in the world. Even so, he could still even the playing field.

Just as he lifted his Mega Ring to do it himself, however, Sora heard Meowth call out, "Hey guardian, don' even thin' about i'." Then, Meowth dug his nails right into Rina's shoulder, just above the first cut, causing her to cry out.

"Stop!" Sora protested, "What are you doing?!"

"Our insurance." Jessica cackled.

"If you try to win this battle, you might find this mermaid to be filleted." Jameson elaborated.

"You cowards!" Sora spat, "I'm ashamed at you Rangar. Why would you stoop so low?!" But Ragnar didn't respond. Instead, it looked like he wasn't even himself right now. His eyes were blank, and he was as still as a statue.

 _Ragnar's not in control of his Mega Evolution._ Sora pieced together. To confirm it, he looked at Ragnar's aura, and found it to have blackened. This wasn't Mega Evolution, it was sorcery. Ragnar forged the Mega Evolution using dark arts.

"So, what's it gonna be guardian?" Meowth laughed, pulling his claw down Rina's shoulder more, causing her to wail out in anguish. Sora growled at his predicament, and at the cheap trick the Tyranninan trio pulled. But what could he do? There was no way around it.

Satisfied with his silence, Jessica whispered, "He's all yours, my prince."

Registering her words, Ragnar called out, "Aggron, Thunderbolt!" So Aggron let loose its electric attack, and blasted Sceptile. Sceptile tried enduring the attack as best as it could, but its strength was waning. Sora merely stood there, shell-shocked, watching both of his friends suffer because of him.

 _Hesitation like that is fatal, Sora._ Sora hesitated to Mega Evolve because Rina was in danger, and he hesitated to save her because Ragnar might attack her. He had hesitated this whole time, and was now dying inside. Was this really it? Had he truly perished? Sora collapsed to his knees as his will abandoned him.

"I've… lost?" he cried silently.

"It's not over yet Sora! Don't give up!" he heard Captain Drake shout.

"Don't let this slime ball win Sora!" Kenneth pitched in.

"Are you really going to surrender when Rina needs you most?!" Kari questioned him.

"Stand up guardian! This battle isn't over yet!" Sarah barked.

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu's voice squealed. Looking up, Sora spotted Drake and Kenneth confronting the Tyrannian trio, with Flygon and Alakazam beside them.

"Flygon, Sandstorm!" Drake ordered. And Flygon blew the back and away from the mermaid hostage.

"Alakazam, use Psychic to dispel that enchantment around Rina." Kenneth told his Pokémon. So Alakazam concentrated its psychic energy at the spell imprisoning Rina.

Surfacing next to him, Kari told Sora, "We got these guys. You just win this battle."

"Show this creep what happens when he messes with our sister." Sarah instructed. Then, Pikachu came up beside him, a strong gaze meeting his. Sora then looked up to Sceptile, who glanced down through the attack with a look that told him not to give up.

Slowly rising to his feet, Sora told everyone, "You're right. It's not over yet. And until I draw my last breath, I will never give up!" Then, a blue fire surrounded Sora as he tapped his Mega Ring, releasing tendrils of light. And Sceptile's stone did likewise, linking its light to his.

"Keystone! Here my plea and unite our hearts!"

"Sceptile! Aura Evolution!"

At that moment, Sora's aura raged between him and Sceptile, causing them both to glow with a bright light. Scceptile's tail extended, and began to narrow into a point at the end, and its leaves grew a bit. When its light faded, it had a combination of orange and green on its body, and the seeds near its tail were orange too. It had become Mega Sceptile.

As for Sora, he began to change too. His staff quickly turned into his Aura Sword. His cape disappeared, and his tunic became dark-blue. His gloves became gauntlets, with the Keystone shining in his left gauntlet. Shoulder pads materialized in the light, and the Mega symbol flashed on his chest. As the light exploded off of him, everyone stared in awe at the Aura Guardian that stood before them. And, struggling to awaken from her bindings, Rina managed to glimpse him in his new form.

"Sora." She whispered, too soft for anyone else to hear. Then, she passed out again.

But Ragnar met the challenge, and barked, "Flash Cannon!"

However Sora, in a distorted voice like a multiverse of Pokémon speaking with him, called back, "Solarbeam!" The power of the aura instantly charged its attack, and Sceptile blasted back the Flash Cannon with more force than was thought conceivable.

Then, Ragnar yelled, "Iron Tail!"

"Leaf Blade!" Aggron tried to slam down its tail on Sceptile, but it dodged and swiped at the steel behemoth. Aggron continued to use Iron Tail to try and pound its foe, but Sceptile was much faster now thanks to the aura. It disappeared each time, and then slashed at Aggron with its Leaf Blade. The pattern continued for a little while following, and Aggron began to grow weary.

Suddenly, a dark energy surrounded both Ragnar and Aggron. Their eyes turned red with hate and malice, dark marks ebbing on their bodies. Sora and Sceptile faced them, not even expressing fear.

"Aggron, Shadow Blast!" Then, the dark energy began to accumulate above Aggron, growing into an orb of pure darkness. But then, the aura around Sora and Sceptile began accumulating into Sceptile's tail. Everyone gasped as they witnessed the powers rising between the trainer and Pokémon.

With a steeled-gaze, Sora roared, "Sceptile, use Aura Rocket!" Aiming its tail, Sceptile's seeds exploded as it launched its tail right when Aggron shot its attack. The two powers clashed, neither giving an inch. It looked to be that they were even, and that the attacks would fail. Instead, at that moment, Sora drew his sword and lunged forward. The movement caused the rocket tail to begin drilling through the orb. Sparks of energy scattered all over the place, nearly hitting the innocent bystanders. Sora lunged again and again, and Sceptile's tail continued to advance with each lunge.

With one final lunge, Sora cried out, "RINAAA!" And with that last cry, the rocket blasted through, and blazed straight into Aggron in a mammoth explosion.

The blast was too much for the Tyrannian trio, as they were sent flying, announcing, "Looks like Tyrannia's setting sail again!" When the explosion ended, all was still. Aggron still stood, shadows rising off its body. Ragnar and Sora were panting from the battle and what it was doing to them. And then, Ragnar grimaced, and his Keystone turned black and shattered. With it, Aggron reverted to normal and collapsed to the ground in defeat.

What followed was a mighty cry from Sora's friends. They cheered at his victory, having defeated Ragnar once more. Pikachu and Larvitar danced around in celebration at their master's victory. But in the midst of rejoicing, Drake noticed that neither Sora nor Sceptile were changing back. Both were still in their new forms, their eyes locked on Ragnar as he started to rise.

Calling back his Aggron, Ragnar muttered, "I lost. I lost again." Unexpectedly, he drew some sort of blade from his staff, and shouted, "Those three idiots! They said I would Mega Evolve, but it was a lie. They forged the Keystone to trick me!" Then he turned, causing Drake and Kenneth to stand ready to fight. "And her! No doubt she was involved in this fallacy. Well no more! I shall shatter this illusion MYSELF!" He charged for Rina, sword held high. Drake and Kenneth tried to stop him, but he plowed past them and knocked them both into their Pokémon. Drawing nearer, Ragnar raised his blade, and struck.

From out of nowhere, a loud 'clank' resounded in the woods. Then, a sword shanked into the earth, knocked away by another. Sora held Ragnar at sword-point, standing before the mermaid he considered as a friend. Everyone was astonished and shocked by what had just happened. Even Ragnar stood aghast at this terrifying demonstration.

Then, Sora spoke, "Go home, Ragnar. Leave at once." Slowly backing away, Ragnar collected his staff and blade, and disappeared into the shadows. In that instance, Sceptile returned to normal and disappeared back into Sora's sword. The guardian's vision began to grow blurry, and he became very light-headed. As his friends rushed to his aid, Sora fell back towards Rina, and passed out muttering, "Rina."

* * *

 _Sora? Can you hear me?_ A distant voice came in, _Open your eyes! Sora!_ Sora's eyes took a little while, but they eventually opened up to find someone tending to him. But his eyesight was still blurry for some reason, so he couldn't see who it was.

Looking at the figure, he asked, "Rina?"

The person quickly took notice to his waking up, and cried softly, "You're alright! Stars above, you're alright!" but the voice wasn't Rina's. As Sora's vision cleared up, he found it was Princess Yolanda caring for him.

"Princess? Where-" Sora wondered.

But as he tried to get up, Yolanda ushered, "Stay down Sora. Rest. You were in very bad shape when Captain Drake brought you back. He said you battled Ragnar."

Holding his temple, Sora recalled, "Yeah. He challenged me, while I was out training."

"I heard you defeated him. Well done Sora." He… won? Sora never recalled winning. He remembered he and Ragnar each had one win, and had sent out Sceptile and Aggron to battle. After that, it was a big blank. But, he didn't doubt being victorious. Still, how did he win?

Setting a cool cloth on his forehead, Yolanda set herself beside Sora and informed, "Keeper Joy is tending to your Pokémon, as well as Pikachu and Larvitar. They both looked positively horrified. What happened?"

"I… don't remember." He told her, "I can't remember what happened at the end of that battle."

"Strange. Still, I doubt it truly matters anymore. I'm just glad you're back, my love." But as she tried to snuggle up to him, Sora got up and looked out into the moonlight through the window. This whole ordeal disturbed Sora more than anything. He wouldn't settle down unless he came to grips with what had happened.

Taking his cape and gloves from the bed stand, as well as slipping on his boots, Sora said to Yolanda, "I'm going outside to the coast. I need to clear my head."

"Absolutely not!" she refuted, trying to pull him back in, "You need to recover. You're in no shape to leave."

"Princess, unless I come to terms with everything, I can't recover." Gripping the princess by the shoulders, he explained, "I… don't feel right. What had happened is making me feel like a foreigner in my own body. I must set it right." Without warning, Yolanda lunged into him and kissed him fully on the lips. The action startled the guardian, but he hugged her in return when he felt tears streaming down her face.

Parting a little, Yolanda comforted, "Don't be afraid. You are you, and nobody else. And you are my betrothed, my love. Come, rest." Yolanda then tried taking Sora by the hand and bringing him back to the bed.

However, Sora slipped his hand out of hers and replied, "I'm sorry, but I can't." And he left, leaving the princess disheartened and alone.

* * *

Rina lay in one of the hammocks in the mermaids' secret room, her left arm and shoulder bandaged up to heal her cuts. She was looking out the porthole to the moonlit village, mulling over some thoughts. When she had been attacked, all Rina could remember was darkness. A darkness that surrounded and engulfed her. Then, she remembered stabs from the very same shadows, tearing her apart. And finally, she remembered seeing a light chasing away the dark, and someone was in that light. It was Sora.

After all that, Rina remembered waking up to her sisters tending to her injuries, and telling her how Sora saved her from the human Ragnar. They were asleep now, but Rina couldn't. She was concerned for Sora. She felt some kind of anguish in him, and still felt it now. He was in pain, excruciating pain. She could feel it.

Then, Rina saw a light near the shore, like that from a fire. And she gained the feeling that it was Sora. Checking to make sure her sisters were sleeping soundly, Rina pulled herself out of the hammock and into the water. Despite her shoulder flaring pain, Rina raced to the high-walled shore, and surfaced to see what was wrong. As she climbed up, she saw some of Sora's Pokémon resting around Sora, including Charizard, Donphan, Swellow, Larvitar, Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. They were all resting around Charizard's tail flame, listening to Sora play the leaf whistle. As Rina struggled to keep her head up, Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle all noticed her appearing. Pikachu instructed something to Bulbasaur, who then used Vine Whip to carry Rina next to Sora. When they did, Sora stopped to find them resting her next to him. Rina chuckled nervously, like she was in trouble for intruding. But Sora merely smiled, and used his cape to cover Rina like a blanket. Then, he resumed playing the leaf whistle.

As he did, all the Pokémon began nodding off and turning in for the night. Even Rina fell victim to the soothing melody, and rested her head on Sora's shoulder. When the guardian finished, he noticed her sleeping against him. Also, unlike most of the small Pokémon snoozing soundly against him, Pikachu was resting in Rina's lap. For the first time since Sora woke up after his battle, he felt at peace.

He then laced his fingers with Rina's, being careful not to disturb Pikachu as he adjusted her position, and whispered, "Thank you, Rina." And he gave her a kiss on the cheek before resting against her. Having spied on his master, Charizard moved his wing to shield everyone in a little alcove, and smiled at the pair. As Pikachu snuck a peek at Sora and Rina, he made a silent wish for things to change and for Sora ad Rina to be together for real.

* * *

Rina: Hey Sora, have you ever heard of the Mermaid Pendant?

Sora: No, I haven't. What's that?

Rina: It's a magical charm that turns any human into a merperson, if only temporarily.

Sora: That sounds cool! Maybe we could use that ti have Yolanda meet you.

Rina: Yes. If there weren't a curse.

Sora: Curse?

Next time,

Maiden Metamorphosis


	16. Chapter 13: Maiden Metamorphosis

**WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT LOOKED AT THE LINK FOR CH. 11, "Mega Aura", DO SO NOW BEFORE PROCEEDING. OTHERWISE, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FOLLOW THE REMAINDER OF THE STORY!**

 **Welcome back fellow readers! Sorry I haven't been updating this story as much. Summer work and all. And with school coming up, updates might be even more pushed back. Even so, I will continue to give you guys some fun chapters to read and break away from school with.**

 **So get ready, because Sora and the crew are about to have one crazy misadventure.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters. All rights to Game Freak and Nintendo.**

* * *

Chapter 13:

Maiden Metamorphosis

A new dawn rose as the _Aura_ sailed the briney ocean blue. Everyone was sleeping soundly in their cabins, all dreaming of great things to achieve. Princess Yolanda slept soundly in her room, dreaming of the day when she and Sora would be wed at long last. But then, in the midst of her dreaming, Yolanda awoke to a strange sound, like the whisper of a mother. At first she thought it was partly due to her dreaming, until she heard it again.

 _Come. Come to me._ It echoed softly in the princess's ear, _Find me in the sea. Come find me in the sea._

"Who's there?" Yolanda asked. But then the voice vanished. And Yolanda was left to wonder who the mysterious voice belonged to.

* * *

As the sun was newly rising, Drake was out barking orders, having Sora and Kenneth halt the ship in the middle of the ocean. During the activity, Drake ran through the halls, ringing a cowbell to wake everyone from their peaceful slumbers. Even the secret room residents were awoken by the obnoxious noise.

When the crew came up yawning and groaning, Tidus was the first to ask, "Why did you wake us up, Captain Drake?"

"You know what they say: 'the early Swellow gets the Wurmple.'" Drake told the young one.

"But how does that relate to our rather rude awakening?" Prince Pewter pressed.

"Yeah! Why did you?!" Sparky griped rather loudly.

"Denne Denne!" Dedenne added.

Sighing loudly, Drake replied, "I guess none of you want to spend the day out here, where you can have the day off to swim in the best part of the ocean."

"Day off?" Yolanda quizzed.

"A vacation, if you will. I believe the whole crew deserves it."

"Um, captain," Kenneth perked up, "Didn't we already have a vacation on Blanco—" But Drake stopped him with a grunt, then gestured discreetly to the water to remind him of their true intention.

"Well, I always did want to go swimming again." Yolanda suggested, "So I'm going to enjoy it." Running to the port side, she cried out, "Geronimo!"

Following suite after the first splash, Sparky cheered, "Yay! Golem-ball!"

"Well don't mind if I join." Kenneth spoke, running after the girls and calling out his Floatzel to catch him. Sketch and Opal followed as well. Deciding to join in, Prince Pewter let out some of his Pokémon, including Swampert, Ludicolo, and Croagunk, then jumped into the waters too.

"Wait for me!" Tidus shouted as he ran for the side. But right as he leaped off, a Vine Whip from Sora's Snivy caught him and reeled him back to the guardian.

"Hold on there, Tidus." Sora told him, "We have to continue your training."

"Aw! But master, it's our day off." The apprentice groaned, "And, everyone is swimming."

"Everyone?" Sora gestured to Drake and Teller, who were not taking part in the fun. "Let's begin with your training with Snivy."

"Snivy!" Snivy huffed as she turned her head away proudly.

 _I think it might be best for you to break away from training for a bit._ Lucario intervened, approaching the duo, _Especially after recent occurrences._

"Even so, I haven't been training Tidus all that much." Sora replied, "So, we need to catch up."

 _Fear not. I shall take it upon myself to train your pupil._

"Are you sure Lucario?"

"Wait. I'm gonna be trained… by Lucario?!" Tidus gasped, now excited by the notion.

 _Yes. And I will have someone help me._ Dropping in behind him, her masked removed, was Violet.

"You go have fun Sora." Violet told him, "You know the prince would say the same thing."

Deciding he wasn't going to convince his own teacher otherwise, Sora replied, "Okay. I'll leave Snivy with you." Calling Pikachu and Larvitar to follow him, the guardian raced below deck.

Gazing at the Aura Pokémon with sparkles in his eyes, Tidus admired, "Wow! I'm gonna be taught by a Lucario? Yay!"

"What a kid, just like his master." Violet chuckled.

Sneaking past Cancer's room, where the avid inventor was working on a new invention, Sora and his Pokémon met up with Drake as they entered the secret room. When they did, the boys were splashed out of nowhere, and Pikachu shielded Larvitar from the waters as best as he could.

"That's for waking us up so early." Kari retorted.

"Oh, funny." Sora replied. Taking off his cape, hat, boots and gloves, Sora leaped into the pool and splashed all three sisters who resided in the water.

"Hey! I don't need you making a mess on my ship!" Drake chastised.

"Aw lighten up." Sarah responded, "We're just having fun. Or do you not like to have fun?"

"Huh?! I do like to have fun!" he protested.

"Doesn't sound like it to me." Rina giggled.

"Never mind! Just, go outside if you're gonna play around."

"Oh no! Not without you." Kari informed. And she grabbed him by the wrist to pull him in. The other three followed shortly after, and Pikachu told Larvitar to go back above deck before following Sora himself. As they swam beneath the ship, Sarah broke away to try and get Kenneth to join her.

As soon as the group surfaced, Drake griped, "I know you mermaids aren't the usual kind, but are you trying to drown me?!"

"That depends." Kari giggled. Then she dove underwater again.

"Oh, not this time!" And Drake gave chase.

After those two left, Sora suggested to Rina, "Well, it's our day off. So let's have some fun!"

* * *

And have fun they all did. The waters were nice and warm, and were surrounded by reefs teeming with Pokémon. Sora, Drake, and Kenneth snuck between enjoying time with the crew, and swimming with their mermaid friends. At one point, the prince called upon a splash contest to see who could make the biggest splash. In the end, his Swampert won that contest, nearly soaking the ship in the process. Then they tried a swimming contest using their Pokémon, and Kenneth and Floatzel took the win there. The crew played a number of games after that, and overall having such a joyful time.

A little later, some of the group went underwater to explore the reefs, while Opal and Prince Pewter went on deck to prep a meal for them to eat. Among the people exploring, Sparky looked around to all the sea life that was present. Getting to see all these Water Pokémon made her all giddy and excited. She began to wonder if that mermaid she met back on Topaz Island, Rina, was still following them. It had been a while since that time, and being in such a beautiful reef made Sparky wonder if she would ever see her again.

When she was making that wish, Sparky noticed a blue glow coming from a reef deeper down. She quickly surfaced to get some air, then dove back down to investigate. A Lanturn was swimming by her, and noticed where she was going. So it offered to take her down there, which Sparky accepted with enthusiasm. When they came up to the glow, they found it was coming from some kind of pendant. The item looked like a silver clam shell with an ocean blue string tied to in. Sparky was fascinated by such a find, and pondered the thought that it belonged to Rina somehow.

 _Maybe Ms. Rina lost this when she was swimming around the ocean._ She thought, _It couldn't hurt to bring it back to her._ So she picked it up, and the pendant radiated in a flash of blue. After it faded back down, Sparky noticed that Lanturn was no longer beside her. Probably because it got scared off by the light, Sparky figured. But then, Sparky realized she was breathing underwater. She looked down, and found something that made her smile so big, half her head was about to come off.

"Wait until everyone sees this." She told herself. Then she swam for the ship.

* * *

Back on board, everyone was gathered on deck to eat a marvelous meal Opal and the prince had cooked up for them. Prince Pewter sat next to his sister while she told him all about ideas she had for renovating their castle when they returned; Teller and Sketch reviewed their chronicles to each other about the place, trying to find some common points about their findings; And Tidus was with Lucario and Sora as they reviewed the apprentice's training, while said apprentice was also soothing some sores he got from Snivy while training.

"Sorry about that Tidus." Sora reconciled, "I thought Snivy would have gotten used to you by now."

"It's alright, master." Tidus assured him, "But Lucario did teach me a little bit about how to read a Pokémon."

"How's that?"

But before Tidus could answer, Cancer came up to them and asked, "Hey Sora, have you seen Sparky anywhere?"

"No, I haven't."

"Is something wrong?" Tidus inquired.

"Well, it's just that Dedenne came into my room a little while ago, but Sparky hasn't come back yet. I'm getting worried."

Just then, Lucario's eyes shot open in shock, and he told them, _The little one's aura… has changed. But, it is close by._

"What do you mean?" Cancer asked with concern.

Just as Lucario was about to answer, they heard Sparky's voice call out, "Hey big brother! Yolanda! Tidus!" The whole crew became alert, wondering where Sparky was calling from. Pikachu and Larvitar immediately found her, still in the water. But something felt different to them, very different.

When Tidus spotted her, he quizzed, "Sparky, why are you still swimming?"

"I was exploring the reefs further down, and I found this cute pendant really far down." She told him, "But it's really cool."

"Sparky, that was dangerous!" Cancer scorned, "You know better! Now come up on deck."

"Yeah um, that might be a problem."

Cancer's patience was really getting stretched to the breaking point, but Sora intervened by offering, "I'll get her up. Snivy, use Vine Whip." So Snivy sent out its vines for Sparky, and began hoisting her up. As it did though, the three humans and Pokémon were shocked by what they saw. Sparky had on what looked like a brown strap across her top, a pendant that looked like a silver clam-shell with a blue outline tied around her neck, and from the waist-down was an earth-brown fish tail with a yellow coral imprint on the hip, with the tail fins round and spherical, unlike Rina and her sister's tail fins. Somehow, someway, Sparky had become a mermaid! Before she was pulled out of the water, Sora instructed Snivy to set her back in the ocean.

Once it did, Cancer shouted, "Sparky, what happened to you?!"

"Yeah! You just turned into a mer—" Tidus began to say. But Sora covered his mouth to avoid spilling the beans.

"Is something the matter Cancer?" Prince Pewter inquired as he and Drake came over to see what all the commotion was about.

Turning to him with nervous smiles, Cancer and Sora tried to block Sparky from view as Cancer replied, "Nothing's... wrong, per se. My sister was just exploring."

"Quite a while for her to be exploring, don't you think?" Drake pointed out, "Is she okay?"

"Well, you see…" Tidus began to explain.

At the exact moment, however, Yolanda shrieked, "Sparky, when did you become a mermaid?!" Busted.

Having brought Sparky back on deck, questions began flying all over the place. How was Sparky a mermaid? Had she always been one? Why was it found out now? No one had any answers to this phenomenon. It was a great mystery to them all.

Facing a very stern prince and princess, Sora and Cancer apologized for trying to hide what they discovered. At the same time, they solemnly swore they only just discovered her change.

"But this is too weird." Cancer pondered, "Sparky has often gone swimming, and this never happened before today. Honest."

"We believe you, Cancer." Yolanda tried to calm, "But, this is a little sudden."

"But what could have caused this?" Prince Pewter wondered, "If Sparky is like all of us, why is she a mermaid now?"

"I wish I knew." Cancer muttered. While Sora was pondering the matter, Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder and began whispering into his ear.

Understanding what was said, Sora told the others, "I'll be right back. Have Tidus watch Sparky while Drake, Kenneth, and I look for answers in our scrolls."

"Are you sure Sora?" Yolanda quizzed, "I could help too."

"Just keep an eye on Sparky for me. I'll be back soon." And he and Pikachu took off, signaling for Drake and Kenneth to follow him below deck.

* * *

Rina and her sisters were back in their secret room, eating some of the meal Kenneth snuck to them. They had been enjoying their meal in peace, right up until Yolanda's shriek. They didn't really hear much of what was said, but something had to have been going on above deck. Whatever it was, they figured it wasn't an emergency. So they let the humans be, and continued munching.

While they were still eating, Kari asked, "Did you see all the Water Pokémon down below?"

"Yeah. It's amazing." Sarah responded, "I thought Kenneth's eyes were gonna bug out after that Huntail went by him. He looked so funny."

"That's mean Sarah!"

"Hey, just because I like him doesn't mean I'm gonna go head over tail for him like you and Rina do."

"Oh really? I don't believe that after seeing you chase that pair of Luvdisc."

Her cheeks turning red, Sarah retaliated, "That was gonna be a prank on you and Drake!"

"Not from what I saw, with you trying to get Kenneth to catch one."

"He was gonna be in on it!"

"Alright you two, that's quite enough." Rina interrupted calmly.

"Alright." Sarah pouted.

"We were only playing around." Kari told her.

"You both know there is no playing around when Luvdisc are involved, don't you?" Rina reminded, "If you see a pair of Luvdisc kiss, it means you will have eternal love with whoever you are with."

"We know that." The two siblings said together. As they were about to go back into the water, they were stopped when Sora, Drake, and Kenneth entered the room, all three looking serious.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked as Kenneth sat beside her.

"Trouble." Drake answered next to Kari, "Big trouble. Sparky somehow became a mermaid." The only one who displayed surprise to the news was Rina, which puzzled everyone.

"Something wrong Rina?" Kenneth wondered.

"Yeah Rina, why the big shock?" Kari questioned, "It's not that much of a big deal, besides the fact that there's a new mermaid we know of."

"It's a bit of a long story." Rina began to explain.

After telling them how she knew Sparky, Kari and Sarah were appalled at their elder sister.

"So you revealed yourself to another human?!" Kari gasped.

"How can you blurt out your secret to another human?!" Sarah chastised, "Why can't you keep a secret?!"

"It's not like that." Sora defended, "I brought Rina on board at the time, and tried to keep Sparky from finding out. Don't blame her."

"Besides, you two also got found out." Drake enlightened, "And by your own carelessness, no less." The two young sisters tried to argue back, but Drake had put them in checkmate.

Moving on, Kenneth requested, "Can you guys tell us how Sparky changed into a mermaid? We know she's been a human her whole life. So why this sudden change?"

"We don't know." Kari replied, "This never happened before. And we've never heard of this happening."

"Yeah." Sarah added, "And relatively speaking, it's impossible for something like this to have happened."

"Unless…" Rina contemplated, "It is the work of the Mermaid Pendant."

"Mermaid Pendant? What's that?" Drake pressed.

Taking a deep breath, Rina elaborated, "I don't know the whole story. But the legend we heard from the Pokémon was that there was a mermaid who had been heartbroken for some reason. She was saddened so much, that she sought to take revenge against whoever wronged her. She had the power to summon an army of Water Pokémon, and was rallying them to attack everything. But then, it was said her soul was sealed in a pendant, so that she could not harm anyone, human or Pokémon. However, whoever possesses that pendant she is trapped in would be blessed and become a mermaid."

All was silent after she told the story. It was like time stood still in the room, with nary a soul disturbing its fragile stillness. Even the water seemed to have halted its ebb and flow.

Kneeling next to Rina, Sora summarized, "So, this pendant is what makes people mermaids? Because of the soul it has trapped inside?"

"Only females, I believe." She said further, "I don't think it affects males. But, I believe there was something else tied with it."

"What else?" Everyone edged in, hoping to hear what more was tied to this 'Mermaid Pendant'.

"I… don't remember." Sarah and Kari fell back, embarrassed that their elder sister forgot such a crucial detail.

"Well, if the Mermaid Pendant is that dangerous, I need to retrieve it from Sparky." Sora told them. Then he raced back to the deck. It was in that moment that the memory came back to her. And what she remembered horrified her.

"Sora, wait!" she called. But he was already gone. So, she instructed his faithful companion, "Pikachu, you have to get Sora! He needs to know about the curse!" Not even asking for an explanation, Pikachu raced after his master with all haste.

"Curse?" Drake quizzed.

"Yes. The curse of the Mermaid Pendant."

* * *

Right when Sora appeared on deck, that's when trouble happened. Sparky and Tidus were yelling their heads off at each other about sharing the pendant she had. Yolanda and Sketch were trying to mitigate the situation, but the two hot heads would not heed them.

"Why won't you let me see it?" Tidus yelled, being restrained by Sketch, "I just want to look!"

"No, you want it all for yourself!" Sparky shouted back, "Besides, I found it. So, it's mine!"

"What is going on here?!" Sora barked, growing tired of their bickering.

Turning to his master, Tidus replied, "I asked Sparky if I could see that pendant she had, but she won't let me."

"That's a downright lie!" Sparky retaliated, "He just wants it for himself!"

"I said I'll give it back!"

"No! It's mine!" This was definitely not like Sparky, Sora knew this for a fact. It had to have been the pendant that was making her so possessive. To confirm his suspicions, Sora looked at her aura, and found that Sparky's natural aura was being overridden with the influence coming from the pendant. It was as if the artifact was trying to take Sparky over.

Firm in how to resolve this matter, Sora requested, "Sparky, can you let me see the pendant? I know you trust me."

"No!" she pouted, "You'll just let Tidus have it! I don't trust you." That was the last straw with Tidus. Slipping past Sketch, Tidus grabbed the pendant and tried yanking it away by force.

"No one disrespects my master!" he growled, playing tug of war with Sparky, "Now give him the pendant!"

"Never! Let go!"

"Just let go!"

"No!"

The two tykes tugged with all their might, stretching the pendant beyond its limit. The strain on their faces made them sweat as the struggle to take the pendant reached its peak. Then, the string snapped, and the pendant was flung into the air as Tidus and Sparky fell back.

With the pendant no longer in her possession, Sparky's body returned to normal. But the pendant was everyone else's concern as it began to descend. Everyone started going after it, claiming to be the one to get it. But this actually made everybody crash into each other, halting their effort as the pendant neared the deck. When someone finally did catch it, it ended up being Yolanda, who did not take part in the crash fest.

Rubbing the back of his head after crashing into Violet, Sora took notice and told her, "Great job Yolanda. Now, can I have that please?"

A little flustered, she replied, "O-Of course." Slowly, she held out the pendant to give to Sora for safekeeping. Midway through, however, something changed.

She reclined her hand and said coldly, "No." Sora was puzzled by Yolanda's refusal, Just as everyone else was.

So Prince Pewter tried coaxing, "Yolanda, just give Sora the pen—"

"No!" Then Yolanda ran over to the side, putting the pendant on herself. "This is too treasured to surrender to you." She told them, "I won't surrender it to anyone." Just as Pikachu came on deck, Yolanda fell back and dropped into the water.

"Princess!" Sora cried out, rushing after her. When he approached the port side, a blue light flashed, blinding him for a bit. When it faded, a Tentacruel surfaced and pulled Sora into the water, making him drop his staff. Then, the Tentacruel carried Sora under and away.

"Sora! Yolanda!" Prince Pewter shouted after them. He was about to give chase when Violet barred his way.

"Stay back, my prince." She warned.

"Violet, move out of my way!" he ordered.

"I cannot! This matter has already escalated beyond our control. We cannot help. For now, we must trust in Guardian Sora."

"She's right." Sketch tried to assure, "It's all up to him now."

Staring off in the direction Sora was taken to, Prince Pewter muttered, "Is there… really nothing we can do?"

* * *

Sora wrestled and struggled to be let out of the Tentacruel's grip, but to no avail. Its grip was too strong, and kept his arms pinned to his sides. And even if he did break free, how would he get back to the _Aura_? It had already disappeared on the horizon, leaving nothing but blue all around him. After a while, they finally approached a small rock jutting out in the middle of the ocean. The Tentacruel set Sora down hard, causing him to groan rather loudly. But he was grateful to be alive, albeit in the middle of nowhere.

Just when things couldn't be any stranger, Yolanda appeared next to Tentacruel and told it, "Many thanks, Tentacruel." With its job done, Tentacruel disappeared beneath the waves.

"Yolanda, what did you do?" Sora groaned, "Where did you take me?"

As the princess came up to the rock, she sighed, "Oh Sora, there's no reason to be afraid. Now, our love can bloom to its fruition. And ever more, thanks to this."

As Yolanda held up the pendant, Sora inquired, "What do you mean?" But rather than answer, Yolanda pulled herself up next to him, revealing an astonishing sight. All she had on besides the pendant was a red clam-shell bikini top, a willowy blouse that wrapped around most of her front and midsection that looked slightly transparent and was tinged pink, and a cherry-red mermaid tail with scales as red as the shiniest ruby in the world with a pink heart imprint on her hip.

Snuggling into Sora, Yolanda moaned lovingly, "My love, now we can be together forever, with no one to interfere in our deep love."

"Princess?" Sora quizzed with worry.

"Don't you like this? Just us, together, watching the sun begin to set?" That was when Sora noticed that it had become late afternoon. The sung hung about three fingers away from the ocean, casting a yellow and orange glow that glistened on the water's surface.

"It… definitely is very pretty." Sora admitted, "And, so are you." Just then, Sora grimaced as pain flared in his chest. Tentacruel must have broken a rib or something when it pounded him down.

"Oh no! You're hurt!" Yolanda gasped with concern, "Did Tentacruel do that?"

"I'll be fine." Sora tried to assure.

"Nonsense! Here, let me." Yolanda then removed a scale from her tail (which then regrew another to replace it), and pressed it against where Sora was hurt. The scale melded into Sora's body, and just like that he was healed.

"Thank you, princess." Sora said in gratitude.

"Oh Sora, you don't need to keep calling me that." Yolanda giggled, nuzzling against him, "I won't be Princess Yolanda anymore. From now on, I am your Yolanda."

"But, what about Prince Pewter? And the others?"

"He can handle things without me. It won't matter with us anymore."

"But, princess, he's your brother. Aurora is your home."

"No Sora. The sea is my home. I need nothing else, save for you." Now Sora knew something was off. The pendant had to have been influencing Yolanda, making her so focused on her strongest desire: him. He needed to remove it. But Yolanda had his arm pinned against her, and he couldn't use his other arm to take it. He needed to handle this matter delicately.

Laying him down next to her, Yolanda whispered, "Sora, I love you from the bottom of my heart. Ever since I first saw you, I was in love."

"Y-Yes, Princess."

"You have protected me all this time, safeguarding me from people like that human from Tyrannnia."

"Ragnar?" Now she was beginning to sound like Rina. Was the pendant changing her this much already?

"Now, I want to safeguard you. And I shall, my love."

"But Princess, I—" But Yolanda shushed him, pressing a finger to his lips.

"Hush. No more words. Just…" And she crept forward, eyes closed as she inched in to kiss. Sora had no escape, and he was afraid of what would happen if they kissed while Yolanda was like this. He was trapped.

But when Yolanda was mere millimeters from him, they heard someone call out, "Release him, imprisoned one!" This shot Sora up, and he found Rina floating nearby with a fierce look. Despite the circumstances, he couldn't be more thrilled to have her here.

As Yolanda spotted her, she demanded, "Who are you? And on what grounds should I relinquish my lover?!"

"My name is not important. But Sora is. Now, let him go!"

"I will not! If you want him, you must take him from me!" All of a sudden, the pendant opened, releasing a red energy that surrounded Yolanda. She raised her arms, and an army of Sharpedo and Carvahna appeared all around the islet. But Rina wouldn't back down. Sora had saved her a number of times before, and she had only saved him once. Now, it was her turn to be the savior.

Tapping her pearl, Rina called out, "Gyarados, assist!" And the sea serpent appeared, towering over the army of jaw Pokémon menacingly and with a frightening roar. As it appeared, the Sharpedo and Carvahna charged, ready to chomp on their new lunch. But Rina retaliated by calling out, "Gyarados, Aqua Tail!" And Gyarados swept its tail, knocking away hordes like they were ants. Sadly, this maneuver did not come without cost, as Gyarados was hurt by the Pokémon's Rough Skin. But it bore with it, sweeping away more Sharpedo and Carvahna.

As it did, Rina called out, "Sora, I remember the rest. The curse of the Mermaid Pendant." Sora nodded, remaining silent so Yolanda wouldn't notice that he was listening to her. "The seal was imperfect, it couldn't hold the mermaid's soul entirely. So it will seek out a host to inhabit, turning them into a mermaid and granting them her power. And if the wearer possesses the pendant when the sun sets, the metamorphosis becomes permanent, and the person is lost forever." Shock set into Sora when he heard what she said. Yolanda would be lost by sundown? Then that explained her behavior before. That wasn't Yolanda, at least not entirely. The mermaid in the pendant must have acted on her feelings towards him, making it seem like Yolanda was saying and doing all those things. But matters became more dangerous for Rina, as Sharpedo and Carvahna surrounded her and Gyarados.

"That's right, my dears." Yolanda spoke, in a distorted voice, "Sink these interlopers! Make them suffer as all shall suffer." With little alternatives, Gyarados coiled around Rina to protect her as Sharpedo and Carvahna brushed against it with their Rough Skin. They were trapped, but Rina couldn't give up. Sora needed her.

Sora had to act now. The sun was nearly touching the water's edge. If it did, Yolanda was lost forever. He couldn't allow that, not after all the good times he has had with Yolanda. He wanted the old Yolanda back, the true Yolanda.

Taking her by the hand, Sora had her face him and asked, "Yolanda, do you truly love me?"

"I do. I most definitely do." She answered.

"Do you love me so much that you would do what I asked?"

"Of course, whatever your request, I shall grant it. For you, my love." Time was running out, and Gyarados looked like it couldn't last much longer. Sora stroked the princess's face, regretting what he was about to do to her.

"Then, I ask you…"

"Yes?"

"… to forgive me." The next thing they knew, Sora grabbed the pendant and ripped it away from Yolanda. The instant he did that, Yolanda wailed out as the energy that surrounded her flew above, taking the form of a mermaid. Then, it was sucked into the pendant, and Sora closed it once and for all. But he could feel the power wanting to escape, so he used a bit of his aura to create a stronger seal, thus locking its prisoner away for good.

Exhausted, Yolanda collapsed into Sora's lap as she reverted back to her normal appearance. The Sharpedo and Carvahna also regained their senses, and vanished underwater. Rina could feel that Gyarados was very weak, so she recalled it once the other Pokémon left. Then she came up on Sora's left side, face grim with worry.

"Will she be alright?" Sora asked her.

"I don't know." Rina replied somberly, "I feel that she will survive, but her emotional state is in question."

"What do you mean?"

"The Mermaid Pendant acted on her greatest desire, amplifying her feelings towards you. I'm not certain what the repercussions will be from such an experience." This made Sora worried, more so than what else concerned him.

"Will she remember seeing you?"

Looking down at her tail, Rina told him, "I cannot say. But if that memory remains, then it may be time to reveal myself."

"No! Don't do that Rina! We don't know what they'll think when you are discovered." Sora protested, "I'll make something up, say it was because of the pendant."

"Sora…"

"I don't want you to reveal yourself until absolutely necessary. Until such a time, you must remain secret. You must!" Rina was stunned by Sora's conviction. She couldn't believe he was willing to lie to everyone to keep her secret.

 _How has she changed this much in so little time?_ She wondered, _So strong, so courageous, yet so compassionate._

Taking her pinkie finger in his, Sora vowed, "As long as we travel together, I shall guard your secret from anyone unless you say otherwise. On my honor, I promise this."

"Sora, no!" Rina spoke suddenly, pulling her hand close to her, "Don't make such a promise. This is my burden to bear."

"Rina, it's my burden too. Not just because of my duty to the prince and princess, but because we are friends." Rina did not know how to take Sora's words. A huge part of her was willing to live with what Sora said he would do, and admired him for it. But another part had a sense of dread and fear for what it would bring him. She couldn't bear the thought of what could happen.

"Well, we better get back to the _Aura_ first." Sora suggested, "But without my staff, that might be difficult. And Gyarados isn't at full strength to carry us back."

Re-energized, Rina replied, "Leave that to me. I have an idea."

* * *

 _Princess? Princess Yolanda?_ Sora's voice echoed as Yolanda's mind returned. She awoke to find herself on the _Aura_ , with everyone watching over her with mixed expressions.

Sitting up, she inquired, "Is everything alright? Why are you all looking at me like you are?"

"Princess, what do you remember?" Teller questioned first.

Pondering for a quick bit, she informed, "I remember Sparky and Tidus fighting over a pendant, then it came to me. I was about to give it to Sora, and that's about it."

"Really? You don't remember anything else?" Prince Pewter inquired. Yolanda just shook her head, rather puzzled by the inquiry.

Holding up the pendant, Sora told her, "Sparky found this on the ocean floor, but it created some problems among the crew. You got caught in it, and I managed to save you."

"That pendant has become too dangerous to keep." Prince Pewter added, "So Sora will return it from whence it came, so no one may ever find it." Yolanda did not quite understand the whole situation, but she was grateful to Sora for rescuing her. Before Sora stood up to toss the pendant, Yolanda hugged him.

"Thank you, Sora."

Returning the hug, Sora replied, "You're welcome, princess." When she let go, Sora went to the bow of the ship, and thrusted his arm to send the object sailing far away, and never be found.

"And that's that." Sketch concluded.

 _All is well once more._ Lucario shared.

"Well, fun's over." Drake reported, "We set sail immediately. Kenneth, Sora, resume course for Salure Isle!"

Aye aye captain!" They both responded. Everyone else went below deck to prepare for bed. As Tidus and Sparky went down, Sora heard Tidus say, "You know Sparky, even if you don't remember it, you were a… pretty mermaid."

"Aw! Thanks Tidus." Sparky returned, "You are a great friend too." And they headed down. Sora chuckled at the exchange, grateful Sparky forgot too. And as Pikachu and Larvitar hopped onto his shoulders, he hoped with all his heart that Rina and Yolanda would remain safe for the remainder of the voyage.

* * *

That night, Yolanda sat on her bed, staring at a portrait drawn of her and Sora in the throne room. Today had been a rather bizarre day, but looking at herself and her betrothed together always seemed to calm her right down. As her mind began to settle, she pulled out a small cloth wrapped around something. Unfolding it, she revealed the silver clam-shell pendant Sora was supposed to have cast into the sea. When Yolanda hugged Sora that time, she snuck something else into his hand and hid the pendant with her. She wasn't sure why she deceived everyone, but there was a memory she had that she wanted to figure out. It was of a girl with red hair, in the ocean. Who was this figure? And did she have a connection to this pendant? Yolanda was afraid she would not like the answers she would find.

* * *

 **Rina: Sora is still out of it after losing Pikachu, huh?**

 **Drake: Yeah. Poor guy.**

 **Rina: Well, I'll just go and win Pikachu back for him.**

 **Drake: Huh?! Are you crazy Rina?!**

 **Rina: I have to! I owe Sora too much.**

Next chapter,

The Revealing


	17. Chapter 14: The Revealing

**Well howdy there folks! We are now getting to some very serious complications in this story, mostly that involving something known about mermaid myths. But anyways, the title might clue you in about what the big issue is, but there's another to come.**

 **Also, before I forget, someone had reminded me that Drew(Drake) didn't have a certain Pokemon in the anime. So, I fudged by accident on this one, but it should still work for my intents and purposes. Just a little forewarning.**

 **But enough gabbing, time to get reading.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its characters. All rights to Game Freak, Nintendo, and all related parties.**

* * *

Chapter 14:

The Revealing

It was a quiet night as the _Aura_ sailed onward to the next Chieftain's island. But all was not well with its passengers. Rina lay awake in her hammock, incapable of falling asleep. She had been haunted by dreams of Sora ending up in some horrific danger, unable to escape. And not just him, but Kari, Sarah, Pikachu, even Drake and Kenneth were suffering alongside him. Each time, Rina was helpless to save them, somehow bounded to simply watch in horror at what happened to her friends.

So she lay awake, tormented by the tantalizing fear of having another dream like that again. While she couldn't bear the horror of something happening to Sora, her sisters, or the others, she often questioned why these matters pressed in on her. She was fascinated with Sora, that she could not deny. He was far different from most other humans because of his great love for Pokémon. But why was he such a concern to her to the point that she never wanted Sora to end up in harm's way? Why was she so driven to want to protect Sora? Angry and confused, Rina quietly snuck away into the sea once more.

Rina surfaced near a ladder leading on deck, swimming beside the ship as it coasted over the waves. The full moon cast a fluorescent glow on the ship, chasing the darkness of the night away. These were one of the few times Rina felt she could calm down and enjoy the brisk air. This whole journey had been making her feel all jumbled inside, and most of it involved Sora.

The thought of the guardian made Rina contemplate what she thought of him on a deeper level than before. The last few times, Rina was found questioning what she had once come to believe about humans. Even more so did she begin to wonder about what she thought about her friendship with Sora. Every time she was near him, Rina's heart went haywire, and she often felt scared that she would say something that would turn him away. She also found how concerned she was about how Sora behaved, what he did, and how he acted on a regular basis. Why was she becoming such a nervous wreck about him? He was a human, she was a mermaid. No matter what, that fact could never change. So why did they still remain friends, and why was Rina so taken by the young guardian?

As she began to think she was going to be driven mad by all these questions, she heard someone grunting and shouting up top. Curious, Rina hosted herself up the ladder as best as she could to find out what was going on. Setting herself on a board jutting out on the side, Rina looked up to find Sora, training with his staff and sword transformations and forms. Sora would practice a bit with his staff, then change it to the Aura Sword and resume, then repeat with his staff. He continued this cycle for a while, growing fiercer and faster as he trained. But on his face wasn't a stoic look of a warrior in training, but instead one of fear. And it was this fear-filled expression that seemed to drive Sora to grow. Even so, it looked like he would exhaust himself with this training to the point of collapse.

Rina was about to call out to him after he finished another sword stroke, when she heard Yolanda call out softly, "Sora? What are you doing?" Rina shied away to avoid being spotted as the princess approached the guardian.

Relaxing his stance and returning his staff to normal, Sora panted, "Just… fighting something off."

"Are you sick?"

"No, nothing like that. It's…" Sora went over to the side Rina was on, and Rina hid herself as best as she could while still remaining nearby to hear what Sora was talking about. "It's about Pikachu."

Coming up next to him, Yolanda asked, "Did something happen between you two?"

But Sora shook his head and said, "No, that's not it. It's just… this feeling I have. Like something is going to happen to Pikachu with where we are going next."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I can't make sense of it myself."

"Sora, nothing is going to happen to Pikachu, You're just being worried about your partner. You and Pikachu are inseparable, a prime example of the bond between people and Pokémon. With you two together, there is nothing you cannot overcome."

Chuckling softly, Rina thought, _You know, for such a love struck human, she makes a good point. I've seen people bond with Pokémon, and Sora rises higher than any of them._

However, Sora disagreed, "We may be inseparable at heart, but what if something happens that takes Pikachu away? I just can't bear the thought of not seeing my best friend ever again." Rina heard Sora begin to cry shortly following, which made her very concerned.

Holding a fist over her heart, she whispered, "Oh Sora."

Then she heard Yolanda tell him, "Sora, on my honor as princess, and as your future wife, I promise you that we shall prevent this from ever happening. My brother, the crew, and myself, we will all help to keep this separation from ever coming to pass."

"But… how?"

"However we must. You and Pikachu shall never be kept apart." Rina thought that was a lot of a big words for a human. There was no way they could EVER keep it from happening. Some powers could not be overcome with such a pledge. Even so, Rina made a conviction to aid Sora whenever trouble struck. He had protected her all this time, keeping her secret from most of the crew. So she would help him however he could.

When she looked back up, she saw Yolanda inching closer to kiss the guardian. Afraid, she slipped her hand on the plank, losing her balance on the perch, and fell back into the ocean.

Hearing the splash, Yolanda looked around and wondered, "What was that?"

"Probably just some Wailmer having fun near the ship." Sora told her, "Which tells me we should get back to our rooms to rest." With that, the two returned to their quarters. And a certain mermaid did likewise.

* * *

The following afternoon found the crew docking at a part of an established island, known as Resplendent Province. But why they were docking at such a place confused Sora and at least half the crew. Even Princess Yolanda had been kept in the dark on this detour. For most everyone's knowledge, it was just a straight shot to Salure Island and the next Chieftain battle. So what was the reason behind this trip?

As Drake and Kenneth were finishing docking procedures, Princess Yolanda demanded of her brothers, "What is the meaning of this?! We should be halfway to Salure Island by now!"

"Apologies sister." Prince Pewter replied rather calmly, "But to reach Salure Island, we'll need sanction to pass further on."

"Why would you need imperial sanction?" Sketch came up, "Shouldn't the Chieftain's challenge be enough to grant us passage?"

"I thought so too. But I received a message from the royals on this island that no one may venture onward without their permission, no matter what."

"That's just rude!" Sparky complained, popping out of nowhere.

"Surely, there is another way to circumvent such a claim." Cancer said as he adjusted his spectacles. Prince Pewter sighed, giving the idea that the royal's word was law.

"I think it'll be fine." Sora assured everyone, "Once we make our plight clear, they will most definitely let us pass on."

"I don't know." Yolanda stated her skepticism.

"It'll be alright." Her brother eased, "Sora and I are part of the emissary group. Captain Drake and Sketch will accompany us too."

"That just makes me more worried. I should go too."

"I'd rather not risk it. Especially with your engagement." Sora couldn't argue with that, but the idea continued to drill into him rather painfully. Especially with a certain someone onboard.

"Right then. All ashore that's going ashore!" Drake announced. So the small group went down the gangplank, and made their way along a road leading to a goliath castle complex, with spires and fences topped and covered with gold. The remainder of the crew stood on the deck, watching the crew venture up to the castle. As she watched, Yolanda held a fist over her heart, remembering Sora's concern from last night.

* * *

The four friends arrived at the main gate to the castle at long last. The _Aura_ was now a mere dot behind them, a speck in the distance. Sora and Pikachu looked back at the ship as they waited with Prince Pewter and the others to receive an answer on having an audience with the royals of this island. Who could be so important to line their home with actual gold? A Cofagrigus would be jealous of how much was used here.

Eventually, a maid approached Prince Pewter, looking rather stone-faced. "May I help you?" she spoke in monotone.

"We wish to speak with the rulers of Resplendent Province." Prince Pewter requested firmly.

"Follow me. We have been expecting you." So they did, but Sora felt uneasy about all this.

If the amount of gold used outside was excessive, the inside was just extravagant. Paintings had rims decked in gold, the stained-glass windows had traces of gold in them, even the floor and walls were decked with gold.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu remarked at how much gold there was.

"How can someone have so much wealth?" Sora wondered aloud.

"If you ask me, I'd steer clear of these kinds of folks." Drake grumbled, "Wealth like this often goes to someone's head."

"But we still need sanction to proceed to our destination." Prince Pewter reasoned, "We'll work out someway to convince them."

"Let's hope you're right, my prince." Drake mumbled.

The four soon arrived in front of two grand doors covered in gold decorative artwork. Quite the display to Sora, as he wasn't used to such elaborate displays.

"In here is where the prince and princess will meet you." The maid informed. Taking the initiative, Prince Pewter opened the doors, and entered an expansive room with a rather long table in the center.

The prince was a young boy like Sora, with smooth, blond hair tied into a ponytail, beige-green eyes that conveyed some kind of cockiness about him, and he wore a golden-yellow royal tunic signifying his status.

The princess was adorned in various jewels and gems, some in her curly, red hair that hung around her head, her deep-brown eyes commanding some kind of authority beyond herself, and she wore a flashy pink dress further adorned with trinkets.

"Welcome, Prince Pewter of Aurora." The prince bellowed, "Welcome to our humble home."

"Yeah. Very humble." Drake muttered to Sketch.

"I am Prince Reggie."

"And I am Princess Kimberly." The princess curtsied.

"It is a great honor to grace us with an audience." Prince Pewter bowed, "Allow me to introduce my companions. Captain Drake, who commands our ship, the _Aura_ ; Sketch, a Pokémon watcher; and our guardian—"

"Sora!" Reggie interrupted, approaching the guardian, "An absolute honor to finally meet you in the flesh."

"Oh my! So you are the great guardian Sora!" Kimberly squealed, "You are simply amazing! We've heard all about your battles with that meanie, Ragnar."

"Um, great?" Sora replied, flustered by the exuberant attention, "So, can we go to Salure Island then?"

Grabbing him by the ear, Prince Pewter chastised, "Sora, show respect!"

"Oh, it is alright." Reggie interjected, "We would be glad to let you be on your way… with the right tribute."

"Tribute?" the emissary party gasped.

"I fail to follow." Sketch made a query, "What do you mean by 'tribute'?"

"To grant you passage, you must pay a tribute to us. Everyone who comes our way must do so."

"What must we pay?" Prince Pewter asked, "We have little of value on our vessel."

With a sly smile, Reggie suggested, "I hear you have a sister, good prince. If you gave me Princess Yolanda's hand in marriage, I might decide to grant safe travels."

"No way!" both the prince and Sora refuted together.

"Princess Yolanda is not to be bargained for!" Sora argued further, "No deal!"

"Pikachu!"

"EEK! A Pikachu!" Kimberly shrieked with excitement, "It's so cute!" In her excitement, she relieved Pikachu from Sora's shoulder and began hugging it tightly. "You're cheeks are just the perfect shape! Such a cute Pikachu!"

"Well, that settles that." Reggie said haughtily, "You may leave now."

"What?! No, you can't take my Pikachu!" Sora scorned.

"You mean MY Pikachu now. So, go away!"

"Pika!" Pikachu pleaded with his partner as Kimberly snuggled it excessively.

"I won't leave without Pikachu!" But he had no choice, as guards came up and began escorting them out, dragging Sora away.

"If you desire this Pikachu, seek out a potential Pokémon to trade for it." Reggie told them as they were led out, "Consider this your final option." Then, the doors were slammed shut.

"PIKACHU!"

* * *

It was a sad state to find Sora in. After they had returned, he had shut himself away in his cabin, and refused to come out. This happened for an entire day, with no signs of improvement. It looked like this would remain the way it was forever, maybe even longer. They had to get Pikachu back.

Prince Pewter called everyone on deck, declaring an assembly on how to rescue Pikachu.

"Now listen everyone, this matter is starkly important, for all of us! Our guardian has had his Pikachu stolen from him, and we must find a Pokémon worthy of trading to get it back."

"Why can't we just take Pikachu back?" Violet requested strongly, "I can sneak in and retrieve it."

"Not an option. Princess Kimberly keeps Pikachu extremely close to her. There's no way we could steal it back."

"Then our only option is to find a Pokémon to trade with them." Cancer concluded.

"Right. And we need all hands on deck. Drake, Kenneth, remain on the ship and monitor Sora. Everyone else, let's go save Pikachu!" With a mighty cry, everyone ventured off to find a Pokémon to trade for Pikachu.

After they left, Drake and Kenneth went down to the secret room to meet with the mermaids. They had already told them about Sora losing Pikachu, and were just as devastated. Ever since, Kari and Sarah began looking for ways to get inside the castle grounds and rescue the cherished electric mouse. Rina, on the other hand, was pondering, which seemed very unlike her, according to her sisters. She was usually one to take action, use whatever she had, and take down whoever stood in her way. So, as a precaution, Kari asked the sailors to watch her for them.

When they entered, the two mermaids returned in the hatch leading to the ocean. Their elder sister sat across from the entrance, eyes closed in concentration. While Drake was concerned for her, he decided not to act on it right away, and went to his Stormstress for an update.

"Find anything?" he asked them.

"Nada." Sarah huffed disparagingly, "Absolutely bupkus."

"There are no streams or rivers leading inland." Kari told him, "We're stranded out here in the ocean, so we can't help you."

"Well, there's gotta be some way to get those royal pains to let Pikachu." Kenneth pondered.

"Good luck. There's no way we can help you there." Sarah pointed.

"Can't Kari cook up a storm or something to flush them out?"

"I can only sense storms Kenneth! I don't control them."

"Sorry. Still learning."

"Forget it. Ultimately, if we don't do something soon, we may never see Pikachu again." Drake reminded, "And Sora's chances at beating the Chieftains vanishes."

"Isn't Larvitar trying to help him out?" Kari inquired.

"Yeah. With no luck. No matter what, Sora isn't moving. So we need to come up with something and fast."

"I think I can settle that." Rina finally said, "But, it will involve a lot of risk." Taking what was said into consideration, Drake ushered for her to proceed with her plan. "If I recall, you said this Prince Reggie was looking for Yolanda's hand in marriage, right?"

"Right."

"And he claimed he would consider releasing Pikachu to us if she came, right?"

"Something like that. What are you getting at?"

"Well, what if she challenged the princess to a battle, for Pikachu's freedom?"

"Wait, what?!" Kenneth sputtered, clearly in disbelief.

Drake however considered, "It's a good plan. Royals usually will do battle to avoid full-scale conflicts and reach a compromise. But, there's one hitch to your plan: Yolanda has little battle experience. It would be expecting too much of her."

"The real Yolanda, maybe. But what about another Yolanda?"

"Wait, you're not saying—"

"Yes. I will go to this prince, disguised like her, and battle for Sora's Pikachu."

"Um, Rina, ARE YOU MENTAL!?" Kenneth shouted.

"You look nothing like the princess, nor do you sound like her." Sarah tried to reason, "And, you're a mermaid. It'd be suicide."

"I know what's at stake, but we don't have any other options."

"Yeah there is. Storm the castle!"

"Maybe not so extreme, Sarah."

"What's wrong with that, Kenneth?" Before they could start, Drake cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"From what I heard, the prince hasn't seen Princess Yolanda before." He said to clarify, "So, if we can hide Rina's tail AND make her appear to be a princess, then we can battle for Pikachu's freedom."

"But Captain—"

"Let's do it!" Kari agreed.

"Anything to show up such a snobbish human." Sarah boasted.

"But we'll have to be quick," Drake foreboded, "Or everyone else will reveal our ruse."

Sometime later, Drake and Kenneth stood guard outside of Yolanda's room, where Rina's sisters helped to make the eldest with her disguise. As they waited, Kenneth shifted around uncomfortably.

"I don't know about this captain." He muttered, pulling on his collar, "Shouldn't we try something else?"

"Sora's in no state to battle, and everyone else is off on a wild Mew chase." Drake replied coldly, "This is our best chance at saving Pikachu, and getting Sora back on his feet."

"I know. But how will Rina pull this off?"

"I don't know. But, I could see some similarity between her and Yolanda. Somewhat."

"We're doomed." Kenneth groaned with a face palm.

Eventually, Sarah called out, "Okay. You two can come in now." So they did, and they couldn't believe their eyes. Rina was absolutely stunning, with a beach-blue, sleeveless dress held by two straps on her shoulders and two on the sides of her arms. The dress perfectly hid her tail, making her look human. To finish, Kari fitted a familiar tiara into Rina's hair, completing the ensemble.

"Whoa!" Kenneth gasped.

"One question Rina:" Sarah posed, "How will you walk?"

"Sora's Torterra." Rina answered, "I used it before."

"Before?" everyone questioned.

"On Topaz Island. Sora took me around before he battled Akito. We can use Torterra."

"We can't." Drake told her, "Unless Sora summoned it, we can't use Torterra. It wouldn't really work anyway. But, I have another idea."

* * *

Drake arrived at the castle gates once more, accompanied by 'princess' Rina. She was riding his Arcanine, a dog Pokémon almost as large as Charizard, keeping the skirt around her tail to keep her true identity hidden. The gold accessory display the mermaid noticed did not impress her. She couldn't hide the fear she held, but she also felt something stronger: a resolve to help her friend. Sora had already done so much for her, keeping her secret and sheltering her. What had she done in return? Not much she thought, besides rescuing him in that storm. She would not be a damsel, she would not hinder Sora anymore. She was gonna help Sora, as he had done for her.

When the maid approached them, Drake ordered, "Let Prince Reggie know that Princess Yolanda requests an audience with him and Princess Kimberly."

"At once!" And she led them into the castle.

 _No turning back now._ Rina thought to herself, trying to psyche herself for the task ahead. Drake guided Arcanine by its mane, leading it and Rina forward. The mermaid looked back at the ship before the doors shut, and whispered, "Sora, don't lose hope." And with that, the _Aura_ disappeared behind doors of gold.

* * *

"Marvelous!" Reggie proclaimed in the great hall, "At long last we meet, Princess Yolanda, the famed flower of Aurora!"

"Oh indeed! How charming." Kimberly cooed, nuzzling Pikachu who clearly looked unhappy with whom he was with. But when he saw Rina enter, hope reignited in him. Sadly, Rina shot down Pikachu with a stare, hoping he wouldn't give her away, which he acknowledged understandingly.

"I must say, I am quite surprised you came of your own volition. I suppose you heard of my proposition?"

"I beg your pardon? Proposition?" Rina inquired.

"Marrying you, of course. Your brother must have told you about it."

"It might have slipped his mind. But, I come with my own proposition."

"Oh? And what is that?" This was it, it was all or nothing here.

With a fierce gaze, Rina issued, "I challenge you to a battle for Pikachu!" Silence followed, creating an awkward feeling atmosphere. And then, both Reggie and Kimberly burst out laughing like gleeful Aipom. This embarrassed both Rina and Drake, as they did not find anything hilarious about the challenge.

After finally calming down, Reggie replied, "My dear, if you are making a wager, you need to have something to offer should you lose. Otherwise, it is a useless gambit."

"So you'll refuse?" Drake defended.

"Quite the contrary. I accept. And if Princess Yolanda loses, she agrees to marry me." Rina's hand tightened into a fist as she gritted at this human. There was no way she would agree to something like this. If she lost, not only would Pikachu be kept prisoner and Sora sent further into despair, but her secret would also be found out. There was no way she could agree to this. Then again, if she didn't, how could she save Pikachu? She had come here confident in her skill in battle.

With resolve, and to Drake's utter amazement, she answered, "I accept, as long as you will return Pikachu into my company should I prove victorious."

"Very well. The wager is set, my dear." Now Rina knew she couldn't lose. She had to win, for Sora.

Reggie and Rina faced off in the inner courtyard, where a battlefield was marked off. Kimberly stood behind her brother, Pikachu nicely tucked in her arms. Drake was beside Rina and Arcanine, keeping things well with their plan. Arcanine could feel Rina tremble with nervousness, puzzling it. To Rina, this was her first true battle against someone other than her sisters, and a human no less. Would it be the same kind of battling? Would it be like what Sora did with the Chieftains? She was confident her Pokémon could hold their own, but what about her?

Seeing Rina in such a state, Drake calmed, "Don't let it get to you. Just trust in your Pokémon, and they'll trust you to battle."

Taking a deep breath, Rina said, "Okay. I will."

"This will be a two-on-two Pokémon battle, sweetie." Reggie declared, "First trainer to lose both Pokémon loses. Use any Pokémon you desire."

Snapping back into the battle, she replied, "Very well. I accept those conditions."

"Let's root for my big brother, Pikachu." Kimberly giggled, "He'll give us a new sister soon." The distressed look on Pikachu's face affirmed to Rina the need to save him. Now, she felt more than ready to battle."

"Now, let us begin!" Reggie pulled out a Pokéstone, and summoned, "Nidoking, serve and defend!" From the beam of light came a purple, dinosaur-looking Pokémon with spikes on its shoulders and back, trunk like legs that it stood upright on, fangs glistening on the sides of its mouth, and a menacing horn that protruded from its head. When it stomped out, Nidoking roared out proud and fierce.

But Rina did not back down, as she tapped her pearl and called out, "Go, Politoad!" From her pearl came a green, toad Pokémon with a spiral imprint on its belly. When it appeared, Politoad clapped its hands cheerfully, like it was ready to make friends rather than battle. At this, the prince and princess let out outrageous chortles, and Drake became quite dumbfounded that Rina would use a Pokémon like this Politoad.

"My dear Yolanda, I thought we would be having a Pokémon battle, not a cheering contest." Reggie guffawed. But Rina was confident now. This prince had no idea what he was in for. "Nidoking, Mega Punch!" The titan stampeded over to Politoad, fist geared to flatten it into mulch.

"Politoad, dodge!" The instant Nidoking slammed down, Politoad hopped out of harm's way.

"What?! Nidoking, hit it!" It struck again, but Nidoking missed once again. And Politoad merely clapped in response to the situation, making Reggie begin to lose his cool. So he ordered more Mega Punches. And Politaod hopped out of the way of every single one. Each time it did, Politoad merely clapped in gleeful response.

On the last Mega Punch, Rina called, "Politoad, use Water Gun!" Dodging out of the way, Politoad squirted Nidoking with a powerful jet of water, knocking it back and causing it to grimace.

"Nidoking, Double Kick!" Nidoking rushed at the cheerful Politoad, and tried to deliver a pair of kicks. But the toad Pokémon ducked and bobbed out of the way once more, then it squirted Nidoking playfully. And no matter how many other attacks Nidoking used, Politoad dodged and played with it like this was all a game. It's antics made Rina laugh, and gave Drake a slight chuckle.

Appalled, Reggie cried out, "Hyper Beam!" Nidoking reared up, and began charging up an orange energy sphere in its jaw. Sensing the imminent danger, Rina hastily looked around for a way to save Politoad. Then, her eyes spotted a pond far off to the side of the field.

"Politoad, jump into the pond!" Politoad hopped as fast as it could to the pond Rina pointed out, but it looked to be too late. Nidoking aimed at it, and blasted Politoad with a Hyper Beam. Smoke and fire erupted as the attack landed, obscuring Politoad from view. Reggie and Kimberly's smiles grew as they waited for the result, and their victory.

When the smoke cleared, there was nothing there. Politoad had disappeared… until it resurfaced in the pond.

"What?! How-?!" Reggie exclaimed.

"She cheated!" Kimberly protested fervently.

"On the contrary, Princess Yolanda has played it fair and square." Drake pointed out, "You all just were not able to catch her Politoad."

Feeling in control, Rina ordered, "Politoad, end this with Water Gun!" From its refuge, Politoad scored a direct hit on Nidoking. And as it hopped out of the pond, Nidoking fell backwards and fainted.

"Yes!" Rina cheered, "Way to go Politoad!" Politoad just clapped I response.

"I gotta admit, I was a little worried there that you were making a mistake." Drake said to her, "But, Politoad did have a distinct advantage over Nidoking." It was more than that, and Rina knew it.

As he returned Nidoking to his Pokéstone, Reggie huffed, "We shall inform the Guten family that their tribute does not serve us well."

"Indeed, brother." Kimberly agreed, still keeping a tight hold on Pikachu.

"But this tribute shall not fail us." Then Reggie summoned, "Arise to serve, Cradily!" Then out came a Pokémon neither Rina nor Drake had ever seen before. It had a slender, green body like some type of plant, tendrils jutting out from behind its intimidating head, and a large, stubby base that it stood on. "Say hello to the rarest Pokémon around, dear Princess Yolanda." Reggie smirked, seeing the astonished faces Rina and Drake displayed, "This is Cradily, an ancient Pokémon."

"Drake, what's a Cradily?" Rina whispered urgently, "I've never heard of such a Pokémon before."

"Sadly, neither have I." Drake regrettably answered, "I don't think anyone has heard or even seen such a Pokémon. So how does he have it?"

"Well then, ladies have the first move." Reggie offered, "Come at my Cradily however you wish." Despite that she had never seen it before, Rina remembered that this was still a battle. And no matter who her opponent was, or what they used, she couldn't back down.

"Politoad, use Water Gun!"

But before Politoad even opened its mouth, Reggie called out, "Constrict!" The tendrils around Cradily's head zoomed over and tied up Politoad's mouth, then bound its arms so it couldn't attack, or even clap. Rina got a little worried, but she didn't let it get to her.

Sensing an advantage, she called, "Bounce Politoad! Use Bounce!" With its legs still free, Politoad kicked off from the ground and leaped super high into the air. The thought following the maneuver was that Cradily would become vulnerable if it got lifted a bit into the air. But when Politoad reached a certain height, it was stopped. Cradily wasn't lifted even a millimeter off the ground. Rather, something on its base was keeping it rooted. Now Politoad was completely vulnerable, suspended and unable to attack.

Brushing his hair to the side, Reggie yawned, "Slam it down, Cradily." So it did, yanking Politoad into the ground with a fearful 'smash!' Then, completely disinterested, he instructed, "Use Ancientpower now." And Cradily centered an ancient and powerful energy in front of it, launching it right at where Politoad lay. The attack made impact, evoking a billowing cloud that obscured its target.

"Politoad!" Rina cried out, almost losing her balance on Arcanine and revealing her identity. Luckily, Drake helped her recover, but nothing could be done for Politoad as it had fainted from Cradily's attack.

Returning Politoad to her pearl, Rina thanked it for putting up a tremendous fight, and requested it get some rest. But she was frightened by this 'ancient' Pokémon. That move it had used, Ancientpower, was a Pokémon attack she had barely heard of. The only other Pokémon she knew that could use that move was one called Relicanth, and she along with her sisters had only met it once in their whole lives. It knew how to use Ancientpower too, and showed it to the mermaid's when it protected them. The fact that she was facing another Pokémon that could use it as well scared her scales off.

"Come now sweetie," Reggie tried smooth talking, "We both know how this battle will end. I offer you the chance to surrender."

"Surrender?" Rina questioned.

"Indeed. Admit defeat now, and we can spare everyone the frivolous nature of this contest. You would be the wealthiest queen in all the kingdoms, and Aurora would be the second-greatest place ever. All the wealth and power at my disposal would be yours."

"And all the finest clothes, jewelry, and Pokémon would belong to you too." Kimberly added, "How could you refuse?" Drake growled at the sibling's attitude. He absolutely loathed people who would value wealth over everything else, and lord it over those that didn't have it. He was sickened by it, completely irked. But Rina's clenched fist caught his attention, as well as the proud face the mermaid displayed.

"You can take your offer…" Rina muttered first, then proclaimed, "And cast it away! I would never betray my friends for wealth or power. I need neither of them to truly be happy. For I would… I will never betray my kingdom."

"Sweet Yolanda, you misunderstand. We aren't asking you to betray Aurora. Merely unite your kingdom with our resources. All it takes is the union between you and me." And here was one time Rina saw Yolanda's engagement as a good thing.

"I'm afraid that is impossible, my prince. For you see, I am already engaged to someone else. Someone far kinder and more powerful than you could ever dream to be."

"And pray tell, who is that?"

Smiling, Rina answered proudly, "His name is Aura Guardian Sora! And it is for Sora that I battle you. For everything, and everyone he cherishes. Something you will never fathom in a thousand lifetimes."

 _Nice Rina._ Drake thought to himself, _Show these royals where true power lies. If only Sora could be here to see this._

With a sigh, Reggie spoke, "An utter loss. You see, my dear Cradily is unbeatable. You'll never win this useless battle."

"Your Cradily? 'Useless battle'?" Rina questioned, "I wouldn't count my Horsea before they hatched. Go Staryu!" Out of her pearl appeared her starfish Pokémon, Staryu.

"My dear, if you are going to even try, you might want to use a stronger Pokémon to make an effort." Reggie said like this was boring him.

"Like I said before, Prince Reggie: don't be too sure victory is yours already."

"Do recall I have an ancient Pokémon. The rarest of all Pokémon, save for legendary ones."

"My brother is gonna beat you." Kimberly sang, "Victory is his!"

"Then enough talk. Staryu, prepare to attack!"

As Staryu braced for battle, Reggie nonchalantly commanded, "Cradily, Constrict." And once more, Cradily sent out its tendrils lightning fast, binding Staryu before it could react.

"Oh no, not again!" Drake gritted.

Rina thought on how to get out of this fix, when Raggie called out, "Fire your Bullet Seed." From its mouth, Cradily shot a barrage of orbs at Staryu, pelting it and dealing heavy damage. "You might as well give up." the snobbish prince offered, "I told you. My Cradily is unbeatable." Rina wouldn't believe it one bit. She knew there had to be a way to escape this predicament. Seeing that she wouldn't take up his offer, Reggie yawned, "Ancientpower." And once again, Cradily centered an orb of its ancient force, and blasted it into Staryu. When the smoke cleared, the gem in its center began to blink, signaling that it was low on energy. If it took one more hit, it would be game over.

"Please tell me you have some kind of plan." Drake whispered, beginning to wig out that Rina had frozen over. But she gave no response.

So Reggie sighed with regret, "A frivolous contest, as always. Solarbeam." And that was when Rina made her move.

As Cradily began charging energy, she commanded, "Staryu, use Swift to break out of that Constrict!" Revived and willing, Staryu shot stars from its jewel, hitting the tendrils that had it ensnared and causing them to retract. Once it was free, Rina shouted, "Now, dodge with Rapid Spin!"

Taking a sudden interest, Reggie called, "Fire your Solarbeam!" By the time Cradily could fire, Staryu had spun out of the way and slammed into it.

"Now, use Water Gun!" Staryu blasted Cradily back again by shooting water from the arm above its gem.

Getting desperate, Reggie barked, "Cradily, Constrict NOW!"

"Counter with Rapid Spin!" No matter how hard it tried, Cradily's tendrils could not latch onto Staryu as it spun faster and faster, soaring around like it was a bird Pokémon. Drake and Pikachu began to see new hope, sensing that she could win. However, Reggie would never surrender. He only needed to hit Staryu once to win, just one hit to end this absurdity.

So he ordered, "Bullet Seed!"

"Staryu, Swift attack!" This time, Staryu countered Cradily's Bullet Seed with swift, and even sent some stars and seeds back at Cradily to deal damage.

Enraged, Reggie roared, "I will not be made a fool of. I am invincible! I am unbeatable! Cradily, annihilate that pest with Solarbeam and make Yolanda mine!" Once more, Cradily began charging energy, gathering sunlight to decimate its opponent. But Rina had figured out a weakness it had.

So she directed, "Staryu, Rapid Spin at its base!" So Staryu spun low to the ground, zooming towards Cradily's base. It tackled hard, spinning faster and faster in order to knock it down. As it did , wind was being generated by its spinning, and started lifting Cradily. It tried staying fastened down, but the combined forces overcame it, and it toppled over while releasing its Solarbeam. To cinch victory at long last, Rina called out, "Now, Water Gun!"

"Fight back with Ancientpower!" But Staryu was the fastest, and hit Cradily before it could even complete its attack. Despite its blinking gem, Staryu stood strong. Cradily, on the other hand, had fainted.

It was over. Rina had won. Her very first battle against a human ended in her victory.

"You did it Yolanda!" Drake cheered, "You did it!"

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu cheered. The little mouse managed to squeeze out of Kimberly's grasp as she and her brother reeled from the loss. He then raced across the battlefield, and leaped up to his friend. Rina caught him as he soared, crying with joy at her victory.

"Pikachu, I did it." She wept, "I won."

"Pika Pika, Pi Pi Pika. Pika Pikachu."

"Yes. Sora would definitely be proud. And now, you're back." And Rina hugged Pikachu, living the moment of her greatest triumph.

* * *

At the gate, Reggie relinquished Pikachu into Rina's care with much reluctance, reciting that the ancient laws dictated the loser upholds their end of the wager. He also added that the _Aura_ had sanction to travel through their domain, anytime they desired.

"Many thanks, Prince Reggie." Drake thanked.

"Farewell Pikachu." Kimberly remorse, "I'll miss you."

"Now, find your party and be off with you." Reggie said with disdain. Glad to be done with it, Rina steered Arcanine back to the sea, with Pikachu resting happily in her lap. They were home free, safe in the knowledge that they accomplished their task. That is, until Prince Pewter and the remainder of the crew arrived at the gate, all looking exhausted.

"Prince Reggie," Prince Pewter called out, "We have a Pokémon that we wish to trade for Pikachu." It was then that everyone noticed Drake accompanying some stranger on his Arcanine.

"Oh, Prince Pewter. That won't be necessary." Reggie explained, "You see, your sister has bested me in battle. I am impressed at Princess Yolanda's skill."

"What?!" Yolanda gasped, "But, I am Princess Yolanda."

 _Way to blow it, Ms 'I-Love-Sora'._ Rina chastised in her head.

"Captain Drake, what is the meaning of this?!" Prince Pewter demanded.

"Indeed." Reggie added, then ordered, "Guards, seize that imposter and the others!" All of a sudden, several armed warriors appeared around the crew and released a slew of Scyther and Bisharp. After that, they all began pressing in, closing the circle in.

"We have to get back to the _Aura_!" Sketch yelled.

"Give me some space!" Drake barked, "Arcanine, clear the way with Flamethrower!" Barking in confirmation, Arcanine spewed out a streak of fire that forced some of the guards and Pokémon to scatter, clearing a straight path to the _Aura_. "I'll explain on board." Drake told everyone, "For now, we need to leave!" There was no time to argue, so Prince Pewter ordered everyone to rush to the ship

As they fled, Kimberly screamed, "Don't let them get away! I want my Pikachu back!"

So the chase was on. Rina helped Sparky and Tidus on Arcanine so they wouldn't get left behind. But Drake had Arcanine stay close in case he needed its fire attacks again. But the Scyther and Bisharp were quickly closing in, blades shimmering their sharp edges.

As a few Scyther pressed forward, Opal quickly turned around and summoned, "Crustle, stop them with Rock Wrecker!" Out of his Pokéstone appeared a hermit crab Pokémon that looked like it had a slab of earth for a shell. Crustle, upon being summoned, sent out a colossal boulder that it slammed into the Scyther. Having delayed them, Opal recalled Crustle as he continued to run with the group.

But then, some Bisharp went after the real Yolanda, so she called, "Fennekin, push them back with Ember!" But instead of small embers after it appeared, Fennekin billowed out fire that fried the Bisharp in their tracks. She quickly caught the fire-fox Pokémon, and continued to run as best as she could, celebrating in her mind about Fennekin's new move. Rina spotted how exhausted Yolanda was getting, and knew she would be caught if she didn't help her.

Directing Arcanine to fall back to her, she reached out and ordered, "Give me your hand!"

"And why should I listen to you, faker?!" Yolanda panted, "I don't even know who you are."

"Listen, we can argue about this later. But right now, we need to return to Sora. That's all that should matter."

"C'mon princess!" Sparky urged.

"Those Bisharp and Scyther are closing in!" Tidus warned, Seeing little alternative, Yolanda took up the stranger's offer, and was helped onto Arcanine.

The group continued to flee to the sea, bearing closer to the ship. As they fled, the others along with Lucario continued fighting back and doing what they could to hold back their pursuers. Pikachu and Fennekin did likewise to protect those on Drake's Arcanine. But no matter how many foes they defeated, more seemed to take their place. But everyone didn't give up, and pushed to make it off Resplendent Province.

After much battling and running, the crew eventually reached the _Aura_. Only to be completely cornered by an army of the guard's Pokémon. Everyone had their backs to the ocean, facing a sea of enemies. They were all exhausted, their Pokémon spent, but the Scyther and Bisharp looked ready to attack and finish the small band of fighters. Striding up to the front on the backs of Dodrio, Reggie and Kimberly laughed at the predicament they had put the heroes in.

"Did you remotely believe that you could take what you want and get away with it?" Reggie chortled, "What simpletons! The naivety of it all."

"You're one to talk, taking my master's Pikachu!" Tidus shouted back.

"Such arrogance. But, we will offer you some form of forgiveness… if you surrender Aurora and your princess to me."

"I will not surrender my people to you." Prince Pewter gritted, "Nor my sister. You're no royal. You are a tyrant! A spoiled brat!" Everyone gasped in shock at his outburst, completely taken aback by such an attitude.

Enraged yet calm, Reggie sighed, "Very well. Guards, kill them all. But spare Princess Yolanda, my future wife."

"You will have to get through me to get to her!" Rina defended, surprising Yolanda.

Standing between them and the army, Sketch added, "Me too."

"And me." Drake volunteered.

"I as well." Opal offered.

"Same for me." Teller spoke.

"Over my dead body." Violet scorned, joining the others.

 _We will not surrender._ Lucario boldly said. Everyone took a stand against the army, ready to protect their friends.

Growing bored, Reggie commanded, "ATTACK!"

But just as they all rushed forward, they heard someone else call out, "Infernape, Flame Wheel!" And a huge fireball raced across the front line, knocking all the Bisharp and Scyther back. Then the fireball blazed across the next seven lines of Pokémon, defeating them all in one go. Then it stopped in front of the group, and revealed Infernape inside, who was eager to fight. "Now," the voice barked again, "Fire Spin!" And Infernape released a tornado of fire that ensnared all Pokémon opposing them. Not one Scyther or Bisharp had the strength to battle afterwards. And when everyone looked up to the ship, they saw Sora standing on the railing, staff held high over his head, and Larvitar perched on his shoulder.

"Impossible." Kimberly gasped.

"SORA!" the crew cheered at his arrival.

Leaping down onto the shore, Sora went next to his fire-chimp partner, and spoke in disappointment, "You're a coward, to try and do anything you want to get what you desire when it is beyond your reach. How low will you go to take what is not yours?"

"I will not be lectured by some boy with a stick!" Reggie spat. Then, Sora willed his staff into the Aura Sword, demonstrating his control of the situation.

"I am Aura Guardian Sora!" he proclaimed, "I protect the innocent, and punish those that do harm! Do not mistake my power for trickery!" Reggie and Kimberly clammed up after that, seeing as how they had no control anymore. "You will let my friends go, you will grant us passage no matter what, and you will not require tributes from anyone ever again. Do I make myself clear?"

With a a silent growl, Reggie replied, "Perfectly. But on what grounds do you make such atrocious demands?"

"The one who battled you was victorious, wasn't she?" Sora smirked, "You are subject by the ancient law to adhere to the victor. And, she is my friend." Everyone was amazed at how authoritative Sora was. This was a totally new side he was demonstrating, even to Rina. Reluctantly, both the prince and princess conceded to his conditions. With that settled, the crew boarded the _Aura_ , and departed at long last. Yet, departure was far from pleasant.

* * *

Sora and Drake helped to carry Rina onto the deck, setting her down on some crates while keeping her tail hidden from the others.

Once they did, Sora whispered, "Thank you for saving Pikachu, Rina. I am forever in your debt."

"Pikachu." Pikachu said with a bow.

"Larvitar." Larvitar mimicked.

"Sora, you have already done so much for me." Rina returned, "I felt like I had to do what I did. You owe me nothing." Before Sora could argue his gratitude further, Prince Pewter got their attention as he and the rest of the crew came up to them.

"Sora, Drake, explain yourselves." He ordered, "Clearly you know this imposter, yet we have never seen her until today. Speak!"

"Your Highness," Sora stepped up before Drake could utter a syllable, "I have known her since we began our voyage. She had no intention of tarnishing the princess's name, nor claiming to be her. She did so to help rescue Pikachu."

"Pika Pika."

"Lar."

"Regardless, you have not told us who she is." Yolanda criticized, "Now, who is she really?"

"Well… you see… I mean, that is… um…" However, Sora couldn't find a way to describe who Rina was without revealing more than he should. And he couldn't fib to his friends about her. What was he to do?

"I believe it would be best if I told you all my true identity." Rina offered, seeing the internal struggle Sora was having.

"Rina no!" Sora pleaded in a hushed voice, "Don't do this! I'll think of something."

"Sora, it's too late. I can't stay hidden forever, and I shouldn't hide the truth. So I must do it." Sora wanted to argue, but the look in Rina's eyes told him it would be pointless to try. So he conceded.

Clearing her throat, Rina elaborated, "My name is Rina. I met Sora before you departed from your kingdom. I have been on your ship ever since, hidden so I would not be found."

"A stowaway?" Prince Pewter quizzed, "But why must you hide? If you had earned Sora's trust, surely we would have welcomed you as part of the crew."

"Because…" then Rina hitched up the skirt of her dress a bit, revealing the truth, "I am a mermaid." Everyone was blown away, except for those who already knew who she was. Sketch, Opal, and Tidus were fascinated that she was a real mermaid; yet the prince and princess were both stunned and outraged.

"A mermaid?!" Yolanda gasped, "But, why would you follow us?! Unless, you had come to take Sora away."

"No, that's not true."

"It's completely true! You probably bewitched Sora with a spell, and are slowly turning him against me. Yes, that must be it. You have cast a spell on him, one of your mermaid charms to win Sora over. Well I won't stand for it! I'll see to it that you are—"

"Yolanda, stop!" Sora scolded, surprising Yolanda. He rarely ever got mad with Yolanda, and that was a severe rarity. "Rina is my friend, not an enemy. She had saved my life once before."

"Saved your life?" Teller questioned.

"During that storm back in Aurora, Pikachu and I fell into the sea. We would have drowned to our deaths, but Rina saved us. She's been my friend ever since."

"Hmm. Still, we can't rule out the harm mermaid's bring." Prince Pewter spoke, "We have been hit with storms a few times while she was onboard. That makes her a danger."

"These storms were not her doing." Drake defended, "In fact, we were guided to safety through them because of her."

"How is that?" Cancer inquired.

"Because Rina has sisters onboard, and one of them can interpret storms." Kenneth blurted. His big mouth caused Sora to face palm, and Drake to growl in frustration.

Concerned, Prince Pewter interrogated, "Are there other mermaids on board?"

"No. I'm the only one."

"No she's not!" came Sarah's voice, drawing everyone's attention to her and Kari on the dinghy, "And we'll stand by each other no matter what!" Behind her, Kari was shaking her head at her sister's rashness.

Frightened, Yolanda screamed, "Th-There are… three o-of you?!"

"Your Highness, please." Sora begged, "These three mean no harm. They are dear friends, and amazing trainers. Do not mistake them for those spoken of in the old tales."

"Yeah! Rina is really nice!" Spraky pitched in, "She's like Princess Yolanda: kind, pretty, strong—"

"And that's enough out of you." Cancer interrupted, pushing her away.

"Even so, Sora," Prince Pewter considered, "They have stowed away for an extended period of time. By law, they must be cast away."

"No, this can't be!"

"I'm afraid so. But as they are mermaids, this punishment is light compared to others." Rina figured something like this was bound to happen. But the deed had been done, and the repercussions had begun. She was at least glad to have known Sora in person, and seen him in action. She had no regrets.

"Well, if you cast her off." Sora said firmly, "You'll have to send me away too." Everyone stood aghast even more at Sora's decision, unwilling to believe their ears. "She saved my life, so I owe her my own. And, I never abandon my friends."

The first to recover from the shock as Tidus, and he announced, "Then that means me too. I'll stand by my master to the end."

"Count me in." Kenneth added as he took a stand by Sarah, "I'll defend Sarah however."

"Gee thanks, Exploud-lips." Sarah mumbled. Sparky joined Sora too, a pouty look on her face. Clearly, no words were needed for her point to be made.

Stroking his bangs out of the way, Drake told the prince, "My ship, my rules. And I say that no one is getting cast away. Not even the Stormstress who has saved us twice now from sinking." This was quite the predicament the prince found himself in. There was no denying that punishing them would look bad for himself and his kingdom. But what else could he do?

"I admire everyone for your willingness to defend those you care about," he pondered, "But, punishment must be dealt. These mermaids are still stowaways." He was right. It was required by the ancient rites that wrongdoing must be punished.

Kneeling, Sora volunteered, "Then I take responsibility, for my action's and Rina's. Let the punishment fall on me."

"Sora no!" Rina protested.

"Master, you mustn't!"

"Pika!" Yet Sora held out his staff, and surrendered it to the prince, signaling his commitment to the decision.

With a heavy heart, Prince Pewter responded, "Very well. Tomorrow, Guardian Sora will face punishment for the misdeeds represented today."

With hands over their hearts, both Yolanda and Rina whispered, "Sora, no."

* * *

 **Sora: Well, we're here at Salure island!**

 **Rina: It's quite a cheerful place, isn't it?**

 **Sora: It's supposed to be a grand retreat for royals. Now, where's that Chieftain?**

 **Rina: I think we have more troubling matters right now.**

Next time,

Vacation Day


	18. Chapter 15: Vacation Day

**9,000. That's how many words were in the last chapter. Up till now, most of the chapters have been averaging between 5,000-6,000 words, at least. Hopefully that doesn't include these author's notes. So for that length, whoa! And for what happened in the last chapter, double whoa!**

 **But now, we enter to what happens after Rina and her sisters are revealed. And trust me, this does get slightly dark until the next chapter. And even then, some dark elements will pop up. So if you don't like when a story turns dark, this is your only warning. Otherwise, let's catch up with how the crew is faring now that they know about their stowaways.**

 **Edit: If you read this on DA, you might notice Sora not behaving accordingly to his punishment. Thanks to that little tidbit, I modified that scene just a smidge to make it more realistic.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its characters. All rights to Game Freak and Nintendo. I just own the story.**

* * *

Chapter 15:

Vacation Day

 **Guest Star: Anabel (Battle Frontier) as Peri**

At early dawn, the crew stood present on deck. Everyone was in attendance for the punishment Sora would endure for hiding Rina and her sisters onboard. The ex-stowaways sat in a dinghy they used before, horrified by the scene that lay before them. Sora was stripped down, save for his pants, and tied to the mast with his back facing the prince. His Bulbasaur had been summoned earlier, and stood beside Prince Pewter. Clearly, everyone felt like this was wrong. Sora should not suffer for any reason, for he committed no true wrongs. But he had offered himself up to take the mermaid's punishment, so there was no way out of it.

Steeling himself for what needed to be done, the prince pronounced, "In accordance with the ancient customs, those that have wronged the ruler shall be punished according to their severity. Today, Guardian Sora shall face the consequences, and atone for these misdeeds. Bulbasaur, you shall give him 20 lashings with Vine Whip." Bulbasaur conceded to the order, preparing its Vine Whip. Everyone looked away, especially Rina and Yolanda. Then, with great strife to itself, Bulbasaur let loose the first lash. Sora let out a strangled cry from the intense sting, but he bared it with determination. Bulbasaur continued with eight more whippings, creating marks on Sora's back. And with each lashing, Sora tried to hold himself back from crying out with minimal success. But on the 10th one, Bulbasaur held back.

Prince Pewter noticed this, and barked, "Proceed!" However, Bulbasaur was on the verge of breaking down, tears forming in its eyes. It wouldn't hurt its partner, it couldn't do it anymore. Sighing, Prince Pewter summoned his Croagunk, and instructed, "Croagunk, do eleven Brick Breaks on Sora." It adhered, and started slamming its attack on Sora. Prince Pewter hated to do this, he loathed himself for committing it, but punishment had to be done. Sora bore through the back-breaking attacks, using his aura to strengthen his resistance as he cried out with each hit. He suffered, but he did it so that no one else has to be punished. He would be the whipping boy, and take the blow in other's stead.

When it was over, Sora was laid on his stomach in his quarters as Cancer tended to his injuries. Yolanda, Tidus, and Sparky tended to him as well, and so did his Pokémon. Anytime Cancer tended to a sore part on his scars, Sora cringed as he endured the pain.

"Sora, why?" Yolanda asked, "Why would you choose to be punished for something you did not do?"

"I already told you, princess." Sora answered, enduring more of his treatment, "I do not abandon my friends. I could never see them cast off. Never."

"That makes some sense." Tidus pondered, "But did that one mermaid, Rina, really save you master?"

"I have no doubt about it." Cancer responded while sifting through his satchel, "If Sora had been thrown into the sea that day like he said, then he wouldn't be here now. So quite possibly, it was Rina who had rescued him."

"Yeah! Rina is so great!" Sparky giggled.

"Denne!"

"But, what if it's all a trick?" Yolanda questioned, "What if it's part of her plan to destroy us?"

"No, it isn't." Sora refuted, "If Rina wanted to do destroy us, she would have done so already." Despite that assurance, Yolanda felt uneasy. And seeing Sora this way further troubled her. She couldn't trust that mermaid, especially not after Sora had been made to keep her a secret for so long.

* * *

Down in the secret room, the three mermaid sisters sat on the deck in portentous silence. None of them felt happy about the circumstances, especially now that they were no longer secret to the crew. The way that everyone had looked at Rina when she had revealed herself, and then when Kari and Sarah made themselves known, it was what they had come to expect. Horror, utter horror of them from what they heard about mermaids. It was what they expected, and reason enough for them to linger no longer.

"It's time." Sarah finally spoke with a serious tone.

"It is." Kari said gravely, "I will miss Drake, but this is for the best."

"It's like I said: mermaids and humans can _never_ be together. It's a simple fact." With that final word, Sarah and Kari set themselves into the water to prepare to leave. However, Rina had not budged an inch. She seemed lost, gazing downward with heavy eyes that appeared on the verge of tears.

Seeing this, Kari called, "Rina, we have to go."

"Why do we?" Rina spoke softly, "Why do we have to leave?"

"You know very well why!" Sarah told her sternly, "We don't belong here. We don't belong alongside humans. That's just the honest truth."

"For who, Sarah?!" Rina snapped, "Has everyone treated us like we don't belong?!"

"Sora is one exception. But everyone else will soon call for our necks."

"Drake and Kenneth care about you two! And you're just gonna leave them because of an old mermaid tale?!"

"Look at what that prince did to Sora! Pretty soon, they'll do worse to us! We can't stay here, where we don't belong!"

"Well then, I'm not leaving." Facing little alternative, both Kari and Sarah seized Rina and dragged her into the water. Nothing was left of their absence, save a special tiara tied to a promise.

* * *

At high noon, the crew was up and on deck, looking out into the horizon for their destination to appear. At last, they arrived at Salure Island! The island was decked with dozens of different buildings and venues that, even from a distance, shined bright and cheerful. It was actually a well-known resort island, particularly for nobles and royals, decked with hot springs, sand pits, and many other resort attractions to allow guests to relax and enjoy their time. Besides being a resort, it was also home to an extravagant boutique that would put even Yolanda's wardrobe to shame.

Everyone gazed out at the amazing sight coming into view, eager to check out this amazing place. Well, almost everyone really. As excited as she was, Yolanda took notice to Sora's absence on the railing. Curious, she looked all over the deck until she spotted him, Pikachu, and Larvitar sitting in the dinghy. Sora didn't seem all that eager to join the crew in marveling at their destination, and that bothered her. She couldn't figure out what was egging him, until she spotted the tiara he was holding.

"Isn't that one of my tiaras that mermaid, Rina, was wearing?"

"Yeah, it is." Sora replied, not even looking at her, "It was a promise we made, to see each other again."

"Sora, please tell me, why did you hide that mermaid on our ship all this time?" she asked, taking a seat across from her betrothed, "She could have been deceiving you all that time."

"I owed her my life. She saved me, and I couldn't turn against her. Besides, at the time, Rina and her sisters thought all humans were selfish and cruel. I wanted to prove them wrong." Yolanda began to see a bit of Sora's reasoning behind why he sheltered the mermaid sisters. Whenever he made friends with anyone, Sora was loyal to a fault. No doubt he would have defended Rina, just like he defended her and her kingdom. It was part of what attracted her. Even so, she could not help but feel wary of the mermaid, despite all she had done for Sora and the crew, supposedly.

"How did Rina come to know about you?" Yolanda inquired.

Stilling his hands, Sora recalled, "She said she had heard of me from a Lapras I saved. This Lapras told her how I had saved it, and how I had a great love for Pokémon."

"A Lapras? You never told me about something like that."

"You never asked. While I was still traveling before, Sketch and I ran across a baby Lapras that had been separated from its pod due to a storm. It took a little doing, but we managed to nurse it back to health, and even reunited it with its group."

"But don't Lapras usually lash out at strangers when they are injured or lost?"

"They do, and this one did as well. But I kept trying, and let it know I was a friend. And pretty soon, it began to trust me." Yolanda was quite impressed. Sora's ability to befriend Pokémon often amazed her, and this story was no different. Plus, befriending a Lapras was often a remarkable feat, as they usually steered clear of most humans. But again, Sora was not like most humans, which would explain a lot about Rina's interests.

"So, that's the story." Sora concluded, "I just wish I could do the same with Rina and her sisters."

Resting her hand on his, Yolanda calmly told him, "If Rina still wants to be your friend, I believe she may still come back someday."

"You think so, princess?" Yolanda nodded in reply. Then, she began leaning over to Sora, eyes closed for the moment. However, right when she reached over to him, she smelled some kind of spice in front of her.

"Bay Bay." When she opened her eyes, Bayleef was staring back at her.

"Gah! Bayleef!" she exclaimed, "When did you pop out?!" Rather than answer, Bayleef just nuzzled her master. This cheered Sora up a bit, but only a little.

* * *

"Welcome to Salure Island!" some women in Hawwaiian-esque outfits greeted with bright smiles. As the crew docked, they were each given a lei by these greeters. Once that was over, they began to see the extravagance of Salure Island. Like from afar, the place was bright and colorful, fitted with various attractions and stalls for people looking to escape and relax. The crew spotted several spots with hot springs, sand pits, massage centers, and even a world-class boutique. The whole place was quite ostentatious, and stretched across most of the island. There was even an area for the Safari Zone, where trainers could go to try and befriend hard-to-find Pokémon.

As the group stood admiring the resort, a man with green hair extending to his shoulders welcomed, "You must be the crew of Guardian Sora? We've been expecting you."

"I suppose the Chieftain was informed of our arrival?" Prince Pewter asked.

"Correct. The Chieftain is a bit busy today, but will accept the guardian's battle on the morrow. Till then, they wished for your entire crew to enjoy our humble island home to your content." At this, the group cheered and raced off for all the fun attractions. However, Sora's lack of enthusiasm was picked up by Yolanda and Tidus, so they returned to check on him.

"What's the matter master?" the apprentice wondered.

"Huh?" Sora started, as if being brought out of a trance, "Oh, nothing. I think I'll go check the Safari Zone."

"Um Sora," Yolanda spoke up, "Souldn't we try to relax instead? You've been under a lot of stress for the past week or so."

"I'll be alright. Besides, I want to check out the Pokémon here. Pikachu, Larvitar, go with Tidus and the others."

"Pika?" Pikachu wondered, confused by Sora's directions.

"And Tidus, keep an eye on this too, please?" And Sora gave his staff to Tidus for safekeeping. With that, Sora took off for the Safari Zone before his friends could investigate further on his actions.

"Why is he doing this?" Yolanda questioned.

"He's hurt." Tidus said out of the blue. Knowing he made no sense, he explained, "Whenever my master leaves his Pokémon with me, it means he's hurting inside. And he doesn't want anyone to try fretting for him. It has happened a couple of times, and each time he did the same thing." Yolanda looked on to where Sora disappeared to, and began to realize what was hurting him.

"He's still thinking about Rina. That's what is hurting him." She figured. Pikachu and Larvitar nodded in confirmation, worried for Sora's safety and well-being.

* * *

Out a ways from Salure Island, Rina floated among the waves as she gazed out to the _Aura_ , wondering if Sora was doing alright without her. Although her sisters wanted to leave the humans behind, she felt like she couldn't. Or rather, she wouldn't. Something inside her told her to not leave, to stay by Sora's side. There was a sense of foreboding about Sora's journey, like some kind of disaster would eventually befall him. If that was true, Rina couldn't just abandon him or the crew. Whatever might happen to them could be because of her, so she needed to stay close. That was what she believed.

During her gazing and contemplating, Rina got dragged under by her sisters.

"Will you give it a rest already?!" Sarah griped for the umpteenth time, "Let's forget about these humans and go back to where we belong."

"You really want to forget about these people who sheltered us and protected us so freely?!" Rina criticized, "How can you be so heartless?!"

"Easy. Humans are."

"Sora is not heartless! None of them are!"

"Then what about that pompous princess who's always attached to his hip?"

"That's—" But Rina had no counterargument for that, so she remained silent.

"Rina, I know how you feel." Kari tried to comfort, "I miss Drake too. Yet, he might have someone else in his heart. So I must be ready to let go. Sora might be the same way with Yolanda."

"So you're just gonna give up, is that it?!" Rina scolded, "Don't you care about if something happened to them?!"

"Why should we care?!" Sarah retaliated, "The only reason we're here is because of your fixation on Sora. Open your eyes! Sora can never feel for you the way you feel for him!"

"There's more at stake here than that!" That caught the other two unawares. Rina never got this mad at them, ever. Yet here she was, defending her position to return to the humans, when it could all be hopeless and a waste of time. Not to mention this new argument she was bringing to bear.

"It's your premonitions, isn't it?" Kari wondered, "You've been having premonitions about Sora, haven't you?" Rina didn't answer her.

Instead, she replied, "If you two want to so freely dismiss Drake, Kenneth, and the others, then fine! Go back if you so feel. But I won't leave Sora because of who I am. If there is a chance, even a slim one, that he could defy the fables, I will give everything I have to see him succeed." And with a flick of her tail, she took off for the island, leaving her sisters to become even more worried about their sister's interaction with Sora.

* * *

Deep in the Safari Zone, Sora was exploring the dense forest for all the rare or different Pokémon that resided there. So far, he spotted some Kanghaskan like from Mega Island, Chansey, Nidorino and Nidorina, Kakuna, Vivillon, Croagunk, Sudowoodo, and even Pidgeotto. It was clearly a high end Safari Zone from the quality of the Pokémon present, but also because the entire environment looked very well kept. The jungle was quite amazing, but the feeling didn't stay when he went to the next area.

A great lake stood prominent in the clearing, a channel leading to rapids on the side near where Sora entered from. Bunches of Quagsire, Marshtomp, Floette, and Palpitoads all resided here, each enjoying the comfort of the lake. But looking at this place and all its water Pokémon tugged at Sora's heart. Looking at his reflection in the water, he recalled his time traveling with Rina, Kari, and Sarah. He had learned so much about his new friends, and he knew there was more to discover about them. With them gone, it felt like Sora was missing a piece of himself.

 _Why did they have to leave?_ Sora thought sadly, _Why couldn't they stay? Why couldn't Rina stay? I know everyone worries about them now that they were revealed, but that just meant we could all be friends now. So why?_ Of course, Sora figured the answer lay in what everyone already thought. For humans, mermaids meant disaster and ruin upon meeting. For mermaids, humans were selfish and unfeeling creatures. Despite what he remembered from stories he was told when he was younger, Sora never believed those fables. He was always fascinated by new things, and the prospect of making new friends. It was just hard to accept what most of the others believed, and even harder to convince them of what he believed.

Disheartened by turmoil, Sora sat cross-legged by the lakeside. When he did, a curious Mudkip and Flabebé approached him to see what was wrong. Sora noticed them, and welcomed them to rest in his lap. Instead of doing that, Flabebé circled around his head and released a pleasant aroma. The action tickled Sora, and even more so when Mudkip used its tail near his ribcage. After that, the two settled down so Sora could recover. Once he did, his smile returned. And with it, Sora found a suitable leaf, and played the Leaf Whistle.

While he played, images came to his mind from out of nowhere. Images of his crew at sea, playing and enjoying their time with Rina and her sisters. The images further envisioned everyone relaxing on their journey, or battling each other in friendly competitions. It was, in a way, Sora's dream come true. As he finished, Sora felt like he couldn't give up on that dream.

Just then, a lone Azurill approached Sora. It looked to be a baby Azurill, considering how young it looked. It seemed very timid and scared of the guardian and the two Pokémon presently with him. Sensing this, Flabebé floated down to it, and began talking with it. After a little exchanging, Azurill was led over to the group.

Resting the tyke on his lap, Sora asked softly, "What are you doing out here, little one?"

Azurill replied, "Azurill Azu. Azu Azu, Azurill."

"You've traveled that far on your own? Wow! But why?"

"Azurill Azu."

"You're looking for someone? Who?"

"Azurill Rill."

"I see. You don't know. Well, maybe we can help. I'm kinda looking for someone too. Why don't we look together?"

"Azu."

"Great! Then let's go." But right when Sora got up, a swarm of Beedrill flew right in their path. Startled, he accidently knocked one into the fast-flowing channel leading away from the lake, and fell in following. Then, the channel led into some rapids that Sora had some trouble with. He searched for the Beedrill he had accidently hit, and tried swimming to it to help. However, he was thrown to the side, and hit his head on some rocks. The blow knocked him out, and he and Beedrill began floating to the ocean-side.

* * *

The next thing Sora knew, he was waking up to the sound of someone humming. He also felt someone wrapping some sort of plant around his head. Thanks to this, he began opening his eyes, and spotted a familiar someone with orange-red hair.

"Rina." He uttered with some difficulty.

Having managed to finish wrapping the seaweed, Rina heard him and sighed, "Oh thank Mother Sea you're alright! You really had me worried there that time, Sora."

"Where am I?"

"On the coast of Salure Island. You looked like you hit your head on something coming down here."

"And you saved me?" The mermaid nodded. Sora then began to realize that she had his head on her lap, that his hat was missing, and that they were in another area of the Safari Zone. The Pokémon that were with Sora weren't present, and neither was,

"Beedrill!" Sora started, shooting up, "Where's Beedrill?!"

"Beedrill?" Rina questioned.

"Yeah. A Beedrill was caught in the rapids with me. Where is it?" As he looked around, he spotted Azurill and Mudkip dragging a weakened Beedrill onto shore. Despite his throbbing head, Sora rushed to aid in rescuing it.

Beedrill looked rather weak, and its body was all wet from its trip. And with its wings being wet, he knew it wouldn't be able to fly. Without a moment's hesitation, Sora took off his cape and began drying off Beedrill's body.

"Hey Rina, mind giving me a hand?" Sora requested. When he looked back at her though, Rina was looking rather paralyzed with fear. Yet Sora didn't understand why. "Uh Rina? You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm perfectly fine." Rina tittered.

"Okay. Then can you help me with Beedrill?"

"I'll just stay over here. You're doing a good job of it anyway."

"What is that supposed to mean?" But Rina didn't answer. Rather, she scooted a little bit away from them, and a bit towards the water. Ignoring her weird behavior for now, Sora resumed helping Beedrill recover.

He got its body pretty dry, but its wings were still fairly wet. He needed to be delicate with those if he was to help Beedrill recover. At that moment, Flabebé floated beside him as he contemplated how to dry off the wings.

Noticing it, he requested, "Flabebé, can you use Fairy Wind to blow the water off Beedrill's wings?" Flabebé complied, and blew a light wind across the membranous extensions. Immediately, the remaining drops of water flew off the wings, and with it they began to twitch. Finding itself alright, Beedrill woke up and began to take off. However, because it was still weakened, it could only levitate a little bit off the ground. Reaching into his pouch, Sora pulled out a Sitrus Berry, and gave it to Beedrill to help it heal.

"There. All better." Sora sighed as he put his cape back on. After that, Azurill and Mudkip came over and brought his hat with them. Thanking them, Sora put it on as he continued to tend to Beedrill. While he did, Azurill spotted Rina off to the side, and hopped over to her. With a mighty bounce from its tail, Azurill vaulted skyward and was caught by a very surprised mermaid.

"Wait a minute!" Rina pondered, gaining some sense of familiarity about this Azurill, "Are you… that Azurill I saved from those Farfetch'd?" Azurill bounded happily in Rina's arms in confirmation.

"You know that Azurill?" Sora inquired, taking notice to the exchange.

"Yeah. I helped it out some time ago while I was looking for you. But, what are you doing here, little one?"

"It was looking for you."

Puzzled, Rina asked, "Looking for me?"

"Yep. That Azurill told me it was looking for someone that helped it out before. I guess you were who it was looking for." Rina was quite amazed. This baby Azurill had traveled all that way from its home, just to find her? It was quite astonishing, even for her.

But at that moment, some bolas spun in and snagged Rina from out of nowhere. Shocked by this, Sora looked to where the source was, and prepared for confrontation.

"Who's there?!" he demanded.

In reply, two voices recited, "Prepare for trouble!" "And make it double!"

"Not this again." Sora groaned.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessica!"

"And Jameson!"

"The kingdom of Tyrannia sets sail with speed and might!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

Then the Tyrannina Trio appeared, in their usual dramatic fashion.

"Well twerp, looks like we meet again." Jameson taunted.

"And this time, we caught your little mermaid friend too." Jessica pointed out.

"Now hand over da Pikachu, an no one gets hurt!" Meowth threatened.

"Forget it! Besides, Pikachu isn't here right now." Then the three began to notice Pikachu' s absence, though didn't quite catch on as to why that was.

"I thought the twerp always had his Pikachu with him." Jameson pondered.

"Forget abou' it! Just grab da mermaid an let's get outta here! We can us 'er as bargainin' chip."

Rising to her defense, Sora challenged, "You'll have to get through me first!"

At this, Jessica cackled, "What can a guardian like you do without your Pokémon?"

"Plenty. Cause I'm not just a guardian." Flashing an aura flame in his hand, he proclaimed, "I am an Aura Guardian !" This was definitely something the three of them did not anticipate. But it did explain Sora's power eruption when he battled their prince. And even though Sora was gonna fight the Tyrannina Trio, Flabebé and Mudkip took the front to help him battle. Sora could tell in their auras that they wanted to help, and he was more than happy to accept it. Going against these three, Sora would need all the help he could get.

With villainous smirks, the trio called out their Pokémon. "Dustox, go!" "Carnivine, come out!" And coming out were a moth Pokémon with wings around its body like a fan, and a Grass Pokemon resembling a Venus Fly Trap. As Carnivine appeared, it turned around and chomped on Jameson's head.

"Must you eat my noggin' now!?" he whined. Meowth even joined the battle, standing between the two.

Taking the first move, Jessica called out, "Dustox, Poison Sting!" And Dustox launched darts tipped with poison at Flabebé, nailing it down in one attack.

"Carnivine, use Bullet Seed!" Jameson ordered after freeing himself. So Carnivine shot glowing pellets at Mudkip, knocking it out too.

"And now for my Fury Swipes, guardian twerp!" Meowth laughed as he descended upon Sora. But before he reached him, Beedrill swooped in and tackled Meowth away. Then it hovered in front of Sora, engaged and eager to battle.

Seeing that it wanted to battle, Sora ordered, "Okay Beedrill, use your Poison Sting attack!" With its arm needles glowing, Beedrill shot off darts at Carnivine. Then he instructed, "Now use Twin Needle on Dustox!" And quick as a flash, Beedrill jabbed Dustox with both its arms.

Sensing a change, Jessica barked, "Dustox, Psybeam!"

And Sora countered, "Agility!" Though Dustox launched a blue-and-pink beam from its eyes, Beedrill's Agility enabled it to avoid the attack altogether.

But right when it was going to retaliate, Jameson ordered, "Carnivine, whack it away with Vine Whip!" So Carnivine swatted Beedrill back with Vine Whip, and pushed it into Sora who got knocked down next to a struggling Rina.

"Now we got you." Jessica cheered, throwing more bolas to bind Sora and Beedrill down, "And your girlfriend too!"

Right before the bolas reached their target, someone called out, "Use Psychic!" And immediately, the bolas stopped in midair. Then, whoever called out the Psychic attack sent them back, and caught the trio's Pokémon, including Meowth. Looking to their left, both Sora and Rina spotted who saved them, along with her Alakazam. The woman wore a buccanear's attire; a jacket with fruffy sleeves, short pants and stockings, and shoes with buckles on them, all in a lilac color. The person herself had short, lilac hair that made it difficult to distinguish her gender at first.

Once she approached them, the woman inquired, "Need a hand to defeat them?"

"Yeah, thanks." Sora replied, grateful for the interference.

"Alright. My friend, use Hyper Beam!" Putting its two spoons together, Alakazam shot an orange energy beam at the bound Pokémon, sending them flying into their masters in a huge explosion.

"Grr! How could we not beat some guardian and capture his mermaid?!" Jessica growled.

"Well, I believe it was your idea to capture the mermaid and use her to trade for Pikachu." Jameson said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah. Some plan." Meowth muttered.

Enraged, Jessica roared, "IT WAS A GREAT PLAN TO SHOW UP THAT FISH! BUT NOW—"

"Tyrannia's setting sail again!" And they were gone.

After that was dealt with, Sora used Beedrill's Twin Needle to cut the ropes holding them, and Rina and Azurill. But after he did, Rina hid behind Sora, cowering.

That's when Sora realized, "You're not afraid of Beedrill, are you?"

So Rina complained in admittance, "I just don't like Bug Pokémon, okay! I really don't like them!"

"Well, I understand about Beedrill. But what about other Bug Pokémon?"

"Sora, I just don't like Bug Pokémon!"

Watching the scene as it transpired, the strange woman chuckled, "You two must really care for each other if you can fight like that." That was when they were aware that this stranger noticed Rina and what she was. Panicking, Sora tried shielding her from view while Rina did her best to escape. But the stranger assured them, "It's alright. You don't need to be afraid. I already know about your people." At this, the two calmed down and stopped what they were doing. However, Sora remained on-guard in case this person still meant to do something. To further show that she wasn't an enemy, the stranger pulled out a charm that had a stone in the shape of a starfish on it.

"My name is Peri." She elaborated, "I know about mermaids because I met one when I was little, and she gave me this charm as a symbol of our newfound friendship."

Surprised, Rina inquired, "You… met another of my kind?" Peri nodded, a chipper smile on her face.

"Oh! Apologies." Sora started, "We didn't introduce ourselves. My name is Sora, from the kingdom of Aurora. This is my friend Rina."

"It's a pleasure to meet a friend of mermaids." Rina said with a bow.

"The pleasure's all mine." Peri returned, "This is my friend, Alakazam."

With that exchange done, and all the Pokémon healed, Rina wondered, "Hey Peri, what are you doing out here in this place?"

"I came to check on my friends." Sora and Rina didn't catch what she meant, until she clarified, "All the wild Pokémon here are my friends, so I like to come and check on them. I listen to what they've been up to, and what kind of Trainer they hope to bond with."

"How can you do that?"

"Not sure. It's just something I can do since I was little." Curious, Sora looked at Peri's aura. It was quite different from those of people he knew, as it seemed to branch out and connect with the aura's of the Pokémon around her. It was also quite powerful, which gave Sora an idea on who Peri was.

"Are you the Chieftain of Salure Island?" he asked.

This sudden claim from Sora surprised both Peri and Rina, but Peri smiled and inquired, "How'd you guess?"

"Your aura. It shines stronger than normal, and acts way differently from most other people."

"So you can see people's aura now? That's quite impressive. I suppose you came to accept our challenge?"

"Of course! But, I heard you wouldn't battle till tomorrow."

"Correct. Today is my day to spend with my friends, like Flabebé and Mudkip here. Out of all the places we host on Salure Island, the Safari Zone is my favorite." Sora could relate to that. Even as a kid, being around Pokémon felt more like home to him than anywhere else. He loved that more than just being a guardian.

"Well," Peri began as she got up to leave, "it was a pleasure to meet you, guardian Sora. And you as well, mermaid Rina. I look forward to seeing you both tomorrow for the big battle." With that, Peri went into the forest with Flabebé, Mudkip, and Alakazam. Beedrill and Azurill, on the other hand, remained with Sora and Rina.

* * *

A little bit past midday, Sora and Rina were enjoying the peace of the coast, and the lulling sound of the waves washing up against the shore. The two rested where the water lapped up to their waists, Azurill played in the water in front of them, while Beedrill rested on a tree at the edge of the forest. Even beside Sora, Rina felt troubled. Her insides just felt so disturbed, both out of elation and fear. She could finally be with Sora without having to do so in secret or behind his friend's backs. And she can begin to learn more about his friends, like Sparky and Tidus. At the same time, what if her being near him was actually a bad thing? Sora had to go through so many hardships because of her and her sisters, and he barely made it out of each one. Still, because of those trials, Sora found new Pokémon to bond with, and even discover that he was an Aura Guardian.

When Sora tried to stretch though, he cringed as if he seemed to have been stabbed with pain. That was when Rina remembered the punishment Sora took for her, Kari, and Sarah. All that hurt, what should have gone to them, fell on Sora instead. How could Rina call herself Sora's friend if he went through something like this? She didn't deserve to remain with Sora then if he was going to continue being hurt by her.

Before she could make a move, Sora requested, "Please don't leave."

Concerned, Rina asked, "Why?"

"I know what you're thinking, but I ask you, no I beg of you not to leave."

"Sora, you're hurt. And as long as I am around you, you'll get hurt."

"That doesn't matter Rina. I would do the same for everyone I care about. For them, and you, I'd do it a thousand times over."

On the verge of tears, Rina responded, "I know you would, but I just couldn't bear it. You getting hurt because of me tears at me from the inside. If you'll get hurt because of me, it might be best if we had never met." Then, Rina was taken aback when Sora pulled her into an embrace.

"Rina, I could never forget you, nor of our meeting." he cried, "You saved me and Pikachu, and you've helped us all since. I feel like we were meant to meet."

"But Sora—"

"I know you're afraid. Truth is, so am I. Please, stay with us." But the sadness in Rina's heart became unbearable, and her eyes flooded with sorrow.

With great remorse, Rina cried, "Sora I… I can't!" And she took off into the sea. Her departure tore at Sora's very being, leaving him still and weakened. Beedrill and Azurill came up to him, noticing the cascade descending from his eyes.

"Rina." he mumbled, then shouted, "RINA!"

* * *

 **Yolanda: How can you think to leave Sora like this?!**

 **Rina: If I stay, he'll get hurt. I must leave.**

 **Yolanda: If you leave, Sora loses his will to battle!**

 **Rina: What?!**

 **Yolanda: I hate to say this, but Sora really needs you!**

Next time,

The Hearts that Bind


	19. Chapter 16: The Hearts that Bind

**And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. Drumroll please.**

 ***crickets chirping***

 ***ahem*. I said drumroll please.**

 ***more crickets***

 **You know what? Forget it. What I mean is, we have now reached the third Chieftain battle. And this one is against Peri(Anabel). How will Sora fair against such a powerful opponent? Actually, is Sora even going to be able to battle this foe? Why don't we find out and see for ourselves.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its characters. Those belong to Game Freak, Nintendo, and related owners.**

* * *

Chapter 16:

The Hearts that Bind

It was early dawn on Salure Island, the sun barely rising from the east. And the island was filled with the sound of grunting and clashing. On the _Aura_ , Sora was doing sword training with Froakie, Sceptile, and the new Beedrill that joined his team. He had Froakie use Cut, Sceptile used Leaf Blade, and Beedrill fought with Twin Needle to practice with his Aura Sword. Coming up from hearing all the commotion, Drake and Kenneth appeared on deck to check on their friend. To them, there was no improvement in Sora's disposition.

Ever since he came back from the Safari Zone, Sora had become more distant and depressed. Because of this, he did a number of things that totally went out of his character: For one, he passed up every chance to train with Tidus or Lucario, outright refusing each time; he would shrug Pikachu and Larvitar off his shoulders whenever they jumped on; and he hurt himself doing reckless training exercises like he was doing now. Today found Sora with plenty of scars and bruises on his face, arms, legs, and torso. At this rate, he was gonna break himself before his match with Peri.

As he deflected another Leaf Blade strike from Sceptile, Sora barked out, "Harder! Don't hold back!" But both Froakie and Sceptile were unwilling to do what their master commanded, nor did they feel this was wise to do. Beedrill, on the other hand, complied dutifully, and struck Sora's side with its Twin Needle, causing him to collapse.

"That's enough!" Drake ordered sternly. He and Kenneth went over to the weakened guardian, and helped him up to his feet.

"Can't stop." Sora muttered to them, "Have to get stronger. Not strong enough."

"Sora, you've been at this for hours." Kenneth told his friend, "You haven't slept, you barely ate, and you look like a Honedge used you as a practice dummy."

"Can't stop. Not strong enough." But as he went for his sword, Drake snatched it away as it reverted back to his staff.

"What happened Sora?" he spoke with authority, "Why are you like this?"

"I am not strong enough. I couldn't keep her safe. I couldn't stop her from leaving." Immediately, the two boys knew he meant Rina. Which translated to the fact that her departure has shattered his very being. They understood some of Sora's pain, because they were still trying to get over when Kari and Sarah left them.

Keeping the staff well out of reach, Drake commanded, "Kenneth, Sceptile, take Sora to his quarters. We will postpone his challenge to tomorrow."

"No! I can't stop!" Sora cried, struggling against his friends.

Seeing little alternative, Kenneth summoned, "Breloom, use Sleep Powder!" When Breloom came out, it released a blue powder over Sora that caused him to fall asleep. With that accomplished, they finally began to get Sora to his room for some rest. It was still a temporary fix though, and Drake knew he would need to find Rina right away.

Looking out to the sun on the horizon, he ordered, "Go find Kari, and tell her Sora needs Rina. Have her bring Rina back." Froakie obliged, and disappeared into the ocean. Then, Drake went ashore to let the Chieftain know of the change in plans.

* * *

The day after that morning found everyone at the battlefield on the coast. The waves were just touching one of the field borders, and the forest stood prominently behind the stands. Sora stood on one end of the battlefield, fully rested, with Pikachu and Larvitar dutifully beside him. Peri was on the other side, anticipating this to be a good battle. However, the crew sat anxious about the outcome of this match. With how Sora was acting after Rina and her sisters left, could he still battle this Chieftain and win?

"This is a three-on-three Pokémon battle between Peri, the Cheiftain of Salure Island, and guardian Sora from Aurora. When all three of a trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle, the match is over. In addition, Sora has the privilege to substitute Pokémon. Are these conditions acceptable?" When he finished, both Trainers complied with the conditions set before them. "Then let the match… BEGIN!"

Pulling out what looked like a wand with two stones on either end, Peri called out, "Go, my friend! Metagross!" From the Pokéstone came a light that materialized into a blue, steel creature with four legs jutting out, and a grey X across its face.

Raising his staff over his head, Sora summoned, "I choose you! Scraggy!" And appearing on the field was a tiny Pokémon, holding what looked to be pants that were actually a part of its skin. Scraggy looked around curiously, until it spotted Metagross. Then it made a leery face at it.

"What's he doing sending Scraggy out?!" Kenneth exclaimed, "It hasn't had enough battle experience!"

"Aw man!" Tidus groaned with a face palm.

Worried, Yolanda called out, "Sora, call it back! Send out another Pokémon!"

But instead, Sora ordered, "Use Leer!" Rushing over, Scraggy gave Metagross a menacing Leer attack. However, it appeared unfazed by the effort.

"Too late." Prince Pewter said grimly, "Now that Sora called an attack, Scraggy is now one of the Pokémon he has chosen to use."

"Not only that, but that Leer attack wasn't like Sora at all." Cancer evaluated, "Metagross has the ability Clear Body. So unless it uses a move itself, it can't be affected by stat reducing attacks."

"Get it together Sora!" Sparky yelled.

"Denne denne!"

Despite having his attack fail, Sora continued his attack by shouting, "Headbutt!" Arching back, Scraggy vaulted forward to connect its head to Metagross. Sadly, its head wasn't hard enough, and a monstrous bump popped up from its head. Although Scraggy liked to act like a tough Pokémon, this was one injury it would cry about.

Feeling pity, Peri offered, "Sora, I'll offer you one substitution. Instead of Scraggy, we'll allow you to call another Pokémon to take its place among the three you can use."

With little alternative, Sora nodded and called, "Scraggy, return!" Once Scraggy returned to his staff, Pikachu and Larvitar urged him to listen to them for once. But again, he wouldn't adhere to their plea.

So next, he summoned, "Quilava, I choose you!" And from his staff came Quilava, fired up and ready for battle. Most of the crew started to rest easy with the new type matchup, but those who knew Sora better didn't like this change.

"Sora's still not acting right." Drake figured.

"I don't think so." Teller refuted, "This is a bit more like Sora, I think."

"But if he's gonna use a Fire-type, why not use Charizard?" Tidus brought up, "Not only does it have an advantage over Metagross, but it can also transform and get really powerful like before."

 _The Mega Evolution would be of little use at this point._ Lucario pointed out, _While powerful, it requires a great bond to be beyond its limit._

"And with Sora acting the way he is, it'd just be pointless to merely use power." Yolanda realized. And along with that realization, she came to a difficult conclusion on how to help Sora become himself again. Resolving to fix this, Yolanda got up and left the battle, leaving most everyone confused by her departure.

"Yolanda, where are you going?" Prince Pewter asked her. But she didn't stop to reply.

"What's up with Princess Yolanda?" Sparky wondered. But no one had an answer for her, and the battle quickly returned to their attention.

"Quilava, Flame Wheel!" Enveloped in fire, Quilava charged for Metagross.

Deciding to take this challenge, Peri requested, "Metagross, Meteor Mash." Metagross's arm turned orange as it thrusted its arm to counter, meeting Quilava in a heated clash. As Quilava skittered back, Sora grimaced at how much harder this had become.

* * *

Back at the _Aura_ , Rina looked onto the resort, wondering how Sora's battle with the Chieftain was going. She still felt very conflicted about being near Sora if it meant bringing more harm to him, but her need to stay near and keep him safe was still as overpowering. She couldn't quite find a reason why she ditched Sora like she did the other day. She shouldn't have been so conflicted to have wanted to leave him like she did. Her mind felt as focused as a sea anemone, and just as useful.

"Are you still trying to convince yourself that Sora wants you to stay?" Sarah came from behind, "Just face facts: it's not gonna happen!"

Annoyed by the constant nagging, Rina replied bitterly, "And how do you know that? As far as you're concerned, you don't care whether a human is good or bad. You just say they're all bad, and accept it."

"I don't say they're 'all bad'. I'm just admitting the fact that we just don't get along with them."

"That's it?"

"That's it. It's simple and easy, and saves me a headache in the end. So why don't you?"

Turning her back to her sister, "I told you before I had a feeling Sora is in danger, and that only I can prevent it. No matter how much distance is between the two of us, that feeling never goes away. I'm convinced, now more than ever, that it is true."

Growing steadily more frustrated, Sarah growled, "And what if that feeling lands you in more trouble than him?! You're becoming obsessed over a human! Just accept that there's no place for you and go home with Kari and me."

"Even if we could, I don't think that we can." Kari interjected, surfacing to Rina's right.

"Don't tell me you're finning me too?" Sarah groaned.

"I'm not putting my fin on anything or anyone. But, I know Rina's reasons. I'm the same way."

"Oh hooray. After meeting that flashy captain, you feel just as dopey and love-struck as Rina."

"Not so, Sarah! I'm concerned. You should realize how odd some things have been since we started traveling with the humans. Someone is trying to do them harm."

"And how do you know that? It could have been random coincidences."

"A coincidence that one storm sent me and Sora to Mega Island?" Rina countered, "A coincidence Sparky found the fabled Mermaid Locket? A coincidence these ordeals even started ever since we first saw Sora?"

"If you're going somewhere, just spill it."

"Our point, oh cynical one," Kari huffed at long last, "is that there is something greater at work. We're needed here, and the crew want us to stay."

Frustrated, Sarah bellowed, "You two can no longer see straight! Don't you realize what going gaga for humans does to a mermaid?!"

"And don't you see what assumptions on humans has led us to?!" Rina argued back, "Sora needs us! They all do!"

"I refuse to believe that!"

"You better believe it!" came Yolanda's voice, "Or you'll suffer worse repercussions!" Turning to their accuser, the three mermaids found the princess proudly standing on the harbor's edge above them. Her fierce gaze fell on Rina, and they glared at each other for what seemed like forever. Rina could feel the immense anger Yolanda had for her, most of it centered on how Sora had been affected by her secretly meeting with the guardian. While at the same time, there was a look of desperation hidden behind her anger, one which they both shared. Then, to the mermaids' surprise, Yolanda jumped into the water, and faced Rina at eye-level.

"Rina, right?" Yolanda began, "You need to come back with me."

"And what good reason should she—" Sarah started to snipe, but was halted by a gesture from Rina.

"And why should I follow you? To be punished for actions to simply have Sora take the fall for me?" she replied sternly, "To be burned? Dried out? Beheaded?"

"To restore Sora's abilities." Yolanda calmly answered.

"What have I done to take something of his?

"This isn't something you stole! Sora isn't acting like himself, and it's gonna cost him the battle if you don't return."

"What do you mean?" Rina gasped, all her resentment draining out of her.

So Yolanda further explained, "When Sora returned the other day, his optimistic and energetic personality was gone. There was a void we saw in his demeanor, one which used to be overflowing. Even before then, Sora seemed unlike himself."

"Yeah. So?" Sarah proudly spoke.

"Shut it!" Kari murmured angrily.

"You should know how attached Sora gets to his friends." The princess continued, "Saying good bye is hard enough for him to do. But accepting one's abrupt departure is something which can shatter his very willpower. With you gone Rina, Sora may never be himself ever again." All was silent following this claim. The mermaids floated breathless at what they just heard. Even Sarah felt no need to be careless in addressing the dilemma.

When the absence concluded, Rina muttered, "Sora… He would…"

"I guess he would be nothing more than an empty shell of his former self." Yolanda finished, "Now do you see why you need to come back? I might be Sora's betrothed, but even I couldn't mend his shattered heart. He needs you." And with difficulty, she added, "And so do I." Rina thought over all that she was told, fearful of what conclusion it might lead to. Ever since hearing about him, Rina sensed that Sora was unlike any human she had known. And when she met him, traveled with him, struggled with him, she could sense how sincere, outgoing, and compassionate he was to everyone around him. Even to her, a mermaid, he behaved no differently than he did with the other crew members. If what Yolanda said was true, then Rina knew in her very being what needed to be done.

Holding out her hand, she offered, "Take it. Prove your words are more than just words." Yolanda was hesitant at first, but her desire to help Sora overcame her wariness. So she took the mermaid's hand, and was instructed, "Hold on tight, and hold your breath." Braced for the trip, she took the princess underwater and torpedoed for the Chieftain battle.

Watching them take off, Kari giggled, "Well, that couldn't have gone any better."

Shocked, Sarah demanded, "And what is that supposed to mean?!" Then, a familiar Froakie surfaced beside Kari, appearing indignant about the whole ordeal. "I should have known." She sighed, already deducing what had happened.

"Well, let's follow and keep an eye on them." So they dove, and chased after their eldest sister.

* * *

Quilava quickly skidded back, panting from all the blows it had received from Metagross. Sora was struggling big time, and on the first Pokémon. He wasn't sure how long Quilava could last, but he needed it to keep going. He couldn't afford to lose… he didn't want to lose. To lose would mean to him that he was weak, pathetic, inadequate, a waste. So he must win this battle, and the one after that, and the one after. He had to win, or he would be reduced to nothing.

Seeing the way to victory, Peri commanded, "Use Hyper Beam!" And Metagross fired an orange beam at its opponent.

Not giving in, Sora retaliated, "Quilava, Eruption!" Head down so its flames pointed at Metagross, Quilava volleyed a torrent of fire and lava into the Hyper Beam, meeting it in a fiery clash. Yet, the Eruption faltered due to Quilava's flagging strength, and the Hyper Beam tore through and blasted it skyward.

Upon landing, the referee evaluated that Quilava had fainted, and proclaimed, "Quilava is unable to battle! Metagross wins!" Sora was quite stunned. He had lost without even having made a scratch on his opponent. He couldn't really believe this was a loss, and he wouldn't.

Returning Quilava to his staff, he instructed, "Get some rest."

Observing from the stands, Kenneth spoke up, "Is it just me, or is Sora beginning to act a little like Ragnar?"

"It's not just you." Drake affirmed, "Sora really isn't himself now."

"His behavior reminds me of a feast without condiments; a flavorful dessert without the sweetness." Opal compared.

"In other words, Sora is missing something, and it's making him someone else." Sketch translated.

"You can understand that?" Sparky asked, to which Sketch nodded.

This observation was quite apparent to Peri. With her unique gift, she could see that Sora wasn't like how he was when she met him. His heart was closed off, and freezing over. This was not the Trainer she and the other Chieftains wanted to battle, this was not the guardian they had heard tale of.

So, she told him coldly, "Sora, if you won't heed the hearts of your Pokémon, then this battle is completely pointless."

"What do you mean?!" he demanded.

"You have been challenged by the Chieftains due to your exceptional abilities in battle, and your phenomenal capacity in bonding with other Pokémon. But you show no signs that those tales bear truth. Hence the uselessness of our continuation."

Growling, Sora barked, "I never give up on a battle, and I won't start now! Go Heracross!" And from his staff came out the armored-beetle, Heracross.

Seeing that she wasn't gonna convince Sora to stop, Peri grudgingly instructed, "Use Psychic." Its eyes glowing, Metagross surrounded Heracross in a blue outline as it lifted it into the air. Then, it started flinging the beetle around the field, slamming it into obstacles and the ground itself. Heracross did its best to bear through the gauntlet, but it wasn't easy. Then, as it drew Heracross in, Peri spoke, "Meteor Mash."

Still, Sora countered, "Use Focus Punch!" So both of them charged energy into their fists, and met with such ferocity that their attacks crackled. The two were pushed back, and Heracross could move by itself again. "Now use Megahorn!" Channeling all the power it could, Heracross shot forth and speared Metagross. But the steel body deflected a lot of the attack, leaving Heracross vulnerable.

"Hyper Beam!" In no time at all, Heracross got blasted at point-blank, and blasted back fast and hard. It tried to get up, but the attack severely wounded it. In that moment, Sora was filled with fear.

So he urged, "Heracross, come back!" But Heracross refused his plea, wrestling to rise. "Heracross please! You need to rest!"

"Pikachu!" "Larvitar!" But the proud warrior again refused, standing on wobbly legs.

"Why Heracross?"

"I'll end this now, since you can't seem to see the reason Heracross is showing you." Peri let him know, "Metagross, Flash Cannon." As Metagross began charging its Flash Cannon, Sora stood bewildered. Heracross had a reason that it wouldn't return to recuperate? What was that reason, and why didn't he know about it? Whatever it was, it seemed like he still lost.

"Sora, stop crying and get your head back in the battle!" The sudden shout drew everyone's attention over to the ocean. And on the beach, bringing with her Yolanda, was none other than the mermaid Rina.

"C'mon Sora, is this really the extent of what you and Heracross can do?!" she scolded, "I've seen Magikarp fight better than this!"

"There's no way this is the extent of what we can do!" Sora retorted back.

"Then stop wallowing and start battling! Heracross knows you both can win, so listen to it! Use that aura of yours to see Heracross's heart!" Seeing what she was talking about, Sora closed his eyes, and saw his Pokémon's aura. It was glowing fiercely, radiating out like a flashing light. Even though Heracross was weak physically, its spirit wasn't. And then, Sora saw the way.

Smiling, he told Rina, "Thank for that. Both of you."

"You're welcome." Yolanda sighed as she was wringing out her hair, "Just don't have us do it again."

"You got it." Returning to the battle, Sora inquired, "Ready for a boost Heracross?" Heracross grunted in reply.

Sensing the change, Peri ordered, "Fire!" And as Metagross let loose, Sora tapped his Keystone and raised the Mega Ring high over his head.

 **"Keystone, hear my heart and answer my call!"**

 **"Mega Evolution!"**

With that, tendrils of light shot out of the Keystone and Heracross's stone, linking together in a glorious flash. When the Flash Cannon hit, it dissipated as a mystical light surrounded Heracross. Its body rounded out and expanded, its arms inflated into bulbous fists, its horn narrowing and elongating till it was like a warrior beetle's horn. When it finished, Heracross's body was a darker shade of blue with some red highlights. It was now a Mega Heracross.

The whole crew gasped in astonishment that Heracross could Mega Evolve too, but were amazed at how revitalized it seemed. Not only that, but Sora had his determined smile back.

Smiling, Peri remarked, "That's the Sora I wanted to battle." Metagross braced itself for a tough battle, and Heracross did likewise.

Fired up, Sora called, "Use Megahorn!" Charged with energy that seemed to make the air shimmer, Heracross zoomed into Metagross with an impact so mighty it flipped over. "Now, use Pin Missile!"

"Pin Missile?" the crew questioned.

"Pika?" "Lar?"

Even so, Heracross aimed its arms, and blasted Metagross with a barrage of projectiles from its new attack. When the smoke cleared, Metagross had fainted.

"Metagross is unable to battle! Heracross wins!" Everyone cheered with the coming of Sora's turnaround. Not only that, but Sora seemed to have become his old self again.

Kneeling down, Sora called Heracross over and reconciled to his Pokémon, "I'm sorry you guys. I really wasn't myself there. I shouldn't have treated you so badly. I know I don't deserve it, but would you all be willing to forgive me?"

It didn't even take two seconds before Pikachu answered with a grin, "Pi Pi Pika. Pika Pika, Chu. Pi Pikapi. Pikachu." Larvitar just went up to him, gesturing for a hug that the guardian happily obliged to. Two quick grunts from Heracross affirmed it forgave Sora, and that it knew he wasn't right before. Peering into his Pokéstone, Sora could feel the monumental forgiveness his Pokémon in there gave him. He felt so relieved to have been forgiven, and now more determined to win the right way: with honor.

Calling back her Metagross, Peri complemented, "Well done Sora. I'm glad all is well now between you and your friends."

"Not quite." Sora replied, "I still have a lot to make up for because of my past actions. Especially to my crew mates."

"I have a hunch that won't be necessary." Unsure about what she meant, Sora looked to his friends in the stands, who were beginning to give a big cheer for him. Everyone was rooting for him, applauding his triumphant return. They still believed in him.

"We're all behind you Sora." Yolanda assured from the seaside.

"Show Peri what makes you the best guardian in the whole world!" Rina shouted proudly.

Gazing back towards Peri, Sora proclaimed, "Alright! Let's win this for everyone!"

"Pikachu!" "Larvitar!"

With that sorted, Peri summoned, "Go, my friend!" And from her wand came a light-pink Pokémon on four legs with blue eyes, a red orb in its forehead, large ears, and a tail that forked close to the end. An Espeon.

Geared up, Sora inquired, "Still want to keep going Heracross?" Heracross grunted in affirmation, poised for battle. "Then use Focus Punch!"

As it was rushing in to fight, Peri thought, _Looks like Sora still underestimates us. Use Hypnosis!_ Locking gazes with its opponent, Espeon caused Heracross to halt its attack and plop down to sleep. Sora was a little rattled that her Pokémon would attack without her issuing a command, but he didn't let it throw him off his game. With Heracross vulnerable, Peri pressed on, _Now, Zap Cannon!_ Charging an orb of electricity, Espeon shot at the snoozing Pokémon with its most powerful attack.

Thinking fast, Sora called, "Heracross, Sleep Talk!" And just as fast, Heracross rushed into the Zap Cannon using Megahorn, then nailed Espeon shortly following.

"Clever move." Prince Pewter observed, "Since Heracross is asleep, Sleep Talk allows it to use one of its moves at random. Seems he still had that move in reserve for something like this."

"Well that's how Sora works." Drake chuckled, "Using moves to catch us unawares."

"And that's why he's the best!" Tidus cheered. Even Peri admired his ingenuity, but it was still putting him at a disadvantage. Sleep Talk was useful here, but the moves chosen were random. Should it call on an attack that did not help it, Heracross would fall victim to a bitter defeat.

 _Let's try Psychic._ She spoke telepathically. And once more, Heracross was lifted into the air.

Hoping for the best, Sora shouted, "Sleep Talk!" This time, Heracross aimed one of its arms, and fired a Pin Missile barrage, disrupting Espeon's concentration and setting it back down. Upon landing, Heracross woke up. "Great! Now use Focus Punch!"

But Peri retaliated, "Espeon, Iron Tail!" So Espeon tried slamming Heracross with its steel-hardened tail. But the attack was deflected by the horn, and it was slammed with a devastating left hook. "Espeon!" Peri cried as her partner skidded to her. Luckily, Espeon hadn't fainted yet, but the attack still left it languid.

Knowing full well her Pokémon was spent, Peri announced, "I'm recalling Espeon. I do not want any more harm to come to it."

Comprehending her words, the ref called, "Espeon forfeits the match! Heracross wins!"

Confused, Rina wondered, "Can a trainer even do that?"

"I don't see why not." Yolanda answered, although equally dumbfounded, "Some trainers don't want their Pokémon to battle to the point of defeat. I guess Peri must really care for her Espeon to want to forfeit one match with it." Even so, Rina always thought Trainers had had their Pokémon battle until they couldn't anymore. To see one willingly surrender was new to her.

Once Peri rested her Espeon beside her, she faced Sora and remarked, "Well Sora, you have really shown a strength far beyond what I had come to expect. Very impressive."

"You are a really strong Trainer to, Peri." Sora returned, "I've never met another Trainer who can battle without saying their command before."

"Thank you. But now we begin to reveal our full power." So next, she brought out, "Go, my friend!" And out came her Alakazam, the same one that helped save him and Rina when they met. And when it came out, he sensed an overpowering aura radiate out from it. This power told him to be careful, for Peri was about to raise the stakes.

"Since you have shown me your Pokémon's Mega Evolved form, it seems only fit of me to do likewise." Peri informed. Flipping her wand so that the Pokéstone was on the bottom, she tapped the other stone, revealing it to be her own Keystone.

 **"Sparkling stone, give our bond form!"**

 **"Mega Evolve!"**

The tendrils of light from the Keystone linked up with those from Alakazam's Mega Stone, and it gave it the power to Mega Evolve. The two whiskers on its face grew into an elder beard that went down to its waist, the two spoons it carried multiplied until they were five floating in an arch over it, it crossed its legs as it started to float over the floor, thus concluding its Mega Evolution into Mega Alakazam.

Undeterred, Sora compelled, "Heracross, Pin Missile!" So Heracross launched another volley of projectiles at Alakazam.

 _I thought they'd try that tactic._ Peri thought to her Pokémon, _Deflect it with Psychic!_ Without even stirring a muscle, Alakazam managed to deflect every shot into the earth below it. Taking advantage of Sora and Heracross's shock, Peri instructed, _Now strike them with Psybeam!"_ Without moving once more, Alakazam used its five spoons to shoot five multi-colored beams at its opponent.

"Heracross, dodge them all!" Heracross did the best it could, weaving through the Psybeam onslaught to avoid being hit. Seeing that it wouldn't be able to dodge one of the beams, Sora called, "Channel this one with Megahorn!" So Heracross tried absorbing it using its horn. This did channel the energy into Heracross's horn, but also confused it, causing it to wobble and dance around in a ditzy manner.

With the opening ready, Peri told Alakazam, _Focus Punch._ And Alakazam relieved its posture to run for the beetle Pokémon, fist geared for a powerful Focus Punch.

So Sora desperately called, "Use your Focus Punch!" Even though it was confused, Heracross managed to slug Alakazam with a sloppily-thrown punch, while Alakazam returned it ten-fold. As it sailed, Sora cried out, "Pin Missile!" But instead, Heracross started hitting itself, then slammed into the ground. Upon impact, Heracross snapped out of its confusion, and hastily got up for another bout. "Alright! Use Megahorn!"

As it took off, Peri directed, " _Hyper Beam!_ Resuming its original posture, Alakazam linked the spoons in a circle, and sent an ultra-powerful beam roaring through the air. The attacks connected, and Heracross struggled against it with every ounce of strength it had. It tried to advance, but the Hyper Beam just exerted too much force to oppose, even with the Psybeam enhancing its attack. Eventually, it was overpowered, and was enveloped in the mighty blast. Sora, Pikachu, and Larvitar had to scatter to avoid being hit themselves. When it died down, Heracross collapsed in a heap, its body returning to normal and steaming from the immense power.

"Heracross is unable to battle! Alakazam wins!"

"No way!" Tidus exclaimed.

"Sora lost?!" Sparky gasped.

"That alone speaks about Alakazam's power." Sketch muttered, "And even more so now that it has Mega Evolved."

"That's right." Prince Pewter commented, "Looks like Peri may be one Chieftain Sora wasn't prepared for." That was undeniable, but that still left everyone wondering about if Sora could still pull this off.

"Can't he just use Charizard and Mega Evolve it?" Tidus pondered.

 _No._ Lucario stated plainly, _Mega Evolution uses a lot of Sora's power. The Keystone cannot Mega Evolve any more Pokémon during this battle._

"But then that would mean that Sora can't win anymore!" Kenneth claimed in shock.

 _It is still possible. But very difficult._

On the other side, Rina didn't quite understand something. "Isn't the battle over now?" she wondered.

"What do you mean?" Yolanda asked her.

"Well, Sora has reserved Mega Evolution for his last Pokémon. But, a winner wasn't declared yet. Hasn't Sora used all three of his Pokémon by now?"

"Well, not really. You see, Sora had called on another Pokémon that Peri let him substitute at the beginning of the match. So he still has one Pokémon left."

With her question resolved, Rina turned back to the battle and muttered, "Let's hope that Pokémon leads Sora to victory."

Her hand over her heart, Yolanda added, "We can only hope."

With a smirk, Sora summoned, "Scraggy, I choose you!" And as soon as Scraggy appeared on the field, everyone else either gasped or groaned at his final choice. Peri, however, was quite perplexed. "Well, I did choose Scraggy as my first Pokémon." Sora reasoned, "So I'm gonna use it now." Pikachu knew his partner had this battle figured out, and that Scraggy would deliver them the win. So he wasn't worried by his choice.

"Very well." Peri accepted, "Then let's resume."

"Then Scraggy, go for it! Use Leer!" So Scarggy rushed for Alakazam.

 _Alakazam, try to use Psychic._ Thanks to its high brainpower, Alakazam knew Psychic attacks wouldn't affect Scraggy. And when the young Pokémon tried using its Leer attack, it was unfazed by the intimidating glare.

"Now, use High Jump Kick!" Face scrunched, Scraggy threw its knee right into Alakazam's chin, disrupting its meditative posture.

After it recovered, Peri sent out, _Focus Punch!_ So Alakazam wound its arm, and went for Scraggy.

"Jump out of the way!" Sora urged. And Scraggy made a huge leap back, still keeping a grip on its flabby skin it held like pants. Alakazam's fist slammed into the earth, and got stuck. "Use Focus Blast!"

"Sora, Scraggy still isn't very accurate with Focus Blast!" Tidus shouted from the stands. Regardless, Scraggy launched a blue sphere at Alakazam.

 _Hyper Beam Alakazam! Hurry!_ So Alakazam used its spoons to charge and fire its Hyper Beam, nailing Scraggy's Focus Blast. The two attacks caused an explosion that whipped up an obscuring cloud between them. Peri began to worry as she was unable to see her opponent.

"Headbutt!" When she heard the attack, Peri scanned frantically for where Scraggy would appear. Even so, Scraggy eluded her notice, rushed forward like a rocket, and slammed its head into Alakazam's like a ton of bricks. Knocked back, Alakazam came loose, and fell back as it reverted to normal, and fainted before everyone's eyes. And with it, Scraggy tried pulling its skin up, only to have it drop back down.

Having seen enough, the referee announced, "Alakazam is unable to battle! Scraggy wins! Which means, the victor is Guardian Sora!"

"We did it!" Sora cheered.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu mimicked.

"Larvitar!" Larvitar danced.

The crew rejoiced at Sora's victory, breathing a great sigh of relief. Yolanda and Rinia celebrated as well, but the princess left Rina behind to congratulate her betrothed.

"You did it Sora!" She cried, "You did it!"

"Actually, this wasn't just my victory." He chuckled, "I owe much of it to you too." Yolanda was quite surprised at Sora's compliment, and a little flustered. Then Sora took her over to Rina, and continued, "And I owe a lot of this victory to you too. Thanks Rina."

"If you're gonna be this hopeless when I'm not around, you've got no chance against the remaining Chieftains!" Rina chastised, but then spoke softly, "Still, you did amazing. This victory was yours, and yours alone. Don't ever forget that you achieved this."

"She's right Sora." Yolanda perked up, "You won this battle yourself. Be proud in that."

Shortly after, Peri came up to the three of them with Espeon and Alakazam in tow. Despite that she lost, Peri seemed rather happy.

"Congratulations Sora." She commended, "You had a rough start for a moment there, and I got a little worried sometimes. But you pulled through, and even surprised me with your Scraggy."

"Thanks. My apologies for my initial behavior."

"All is forgiven. And with it, I present to you the Nexus Badge." And Peri held out a badge that looked like two hands in a handshake, with a triangle back-plate that was red, blue, and green equally. Taking it, Sora cheered,

"Alright! I just won the Nexus Badge!

"Pi Pikachu!"

"Larvitar Lar!"

* * *

The next day at the harbor, the crew of the _Aura_ were preparing to set off for their next destination. But in spite of that, Sora was speaking with Rina and her sisters on a lower platform. Since they had missed all the action trying to find the battlefield, he was giving an account to Sarah and Kari on what happened. They did not try to hide their amazement at his achievement, but Sarah was still sour over things.

"So, ready to journey again?" Sora asked eagerly when he finished.

"Not to sound ungrateful Sora, but this is as far as we go." Sarah huffed.

"Sarah, we've gone over this already." Kari nagged, "We can't leave. Not now."

"Oh? And why not?"

"You know very well why not." Rina said with an edge in her tone.

"Because of your supposed affection for guardian-boy here?" Sarah stabbed.

Flustered and angry, Rina replied, "No! Because there could be more trouble in the future with this journey. We need to stay."

"You could try. I doubt anyone even remotely wants us onboard anymore."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Came Drake, accompanied by Kenneth, Prince Pewter, and Yolanda.

As Sora shot up, the prince assured, "Rest easy Sora. We do not come with ill-intent."

"Really?" the guardian hoped.

"After what you did to Sora because of us! How can we trust you?!" Sarah accused.

"Clam it!" Kari shushed harshly.

"I admit, I acted out of fear of the warnings we were given about you." The prince elaborated, "And under the ancient rites we are bound to uphold. I don't expect forgiveness, but do hope we might work to make amends for my wrongs." When he finished, he gestured to Yolanda to go on over to them.

Once she approached Sora, she requested, "Do you still have the tiara?"

"Pikachu." His partner answered, holding it up for them.

So the princess received it, then requested, "Rina, may you come onto the deck please?" Against Sarah's urging, Rina pulled herself up onto the dock. As the princess knelt, she asked, "Do you speak the truth in what you did for Sora, guardian of Aurora, back in that storm?"

"I do." Rina said with conviction.

"And do you not seek to cause harm to us on our continuing journey?"

"I seek nothing of the sort."

"And do you—"

"Yolanda!" the boys griped.

"Okay, sorry. I got a little carried away." She giggled. Then she set the tiara in Rina's hair as she finished, "Mermaid Rina, with this token and promise, we wish to invite you to be a part of our crew, along with your sisters. Won't you please accept?" Rina was a bit stunned. Yolanda, the girl who loves Sora so zealously that she could rival a raging Gyarados, was inviting her and her sisters to be a part of their group. She could hardly believe it.

Erring on caution, she inquired, "What if I were to refuse?"

"Rina, you can't—" Sora tried to assure.

But Prince Pewter and Kenneth stopped him as Yolanda answered, "Then you will miss out on many friends who desire to make amends. One especially that we both care for." Seeing her doubtful gaze, the princess continued, "Rina, I stand by Sora. I was wrong to believe you were malefic and destructive. I realize now you are a person, one we must respect and be compassionate for. I ask, no I beg, please continue to travel with us."

"Kinda unnecessary, isn't it captain?" Kenneth whispered, receiving a jab in the gut from Drake for it. Despite his opinion, it was proof enough for Rina.

With a slight bow, she told her, "It would be an honor to continue traveling with you. If you will have me and my sisters."

"Of course!" Yolanda and Sora cheered simultaneously. And while Kari shared their enthusiasm, Sarah tried to act all pouty and ungrateful, with little success.

And from out of nowhere, an Azurill jumped into the group and right into Rina's lap. Most of the group was surprised by this, but Sora and Rina recognized it as the same Azurill from the other day. Azurill seemed to cry and plead with Rina about something, but she couldn't understand what it was saying.

But Prince Pewter understood, and told everyone, "I think Azurill wants to travel with you Rina."

Puzzled, Rina asked, "Travel with… me? But why?"

"I guess it just feels like it wants to be with you. Sometimes Trainers aren't the only ones to choose their Pokémon. Often it is the Pokémon who chooses their Trainer."

"And Azurill is choosing me?"

"That would be awesome Rina." Sora supported, "I bet Azurill will grow real strong with you as its trainer. No doubt." She couldn't deny that. Besides, Azurill had a desperate look in its eyes that didn't want Rina to turn it away. She wouldn't do that, though. She had saved this Azurill. If it wanted to travel with her, who was she to refuse its decision?

"Very well then." She told it, "Welcome to our family Azurill." Azurill cheered at being accepted, and tapped Rina's pearl with its tail to signify that it would be her Pokémon. Upon contact, a teal light washed over the young Pokémon, meaning that it now belonged to Rina.

After seeing that, Yolanda remembered, "Oh yeah! I have a new friend too. I got it after Sora's battle yesterday from the Safari Zone." Taking out her Pokéstone, she called out, "Come on out Pancham!" And from her Pokéstone came a small panda Pokémon that had a leaf in its mouth. The new Pancham regarded the group, then did a few flips before landing in front of the princess with a bow.

"Wow, a Pancham!" Sora admired.

"Pika!"

"Seems like quite the performer Pokemon." Drake noted, "It's a good match for you Yolanda. But, how did you capture it?"

"That's a bit of a story." She replied, "I'll tell you when we set sail."

During the introductions and celebration, Peri had come up to the group, her eyes somewhat fixed on Sora. Her gaze was somewhat forlorn and thoughtful, something she pondered about how this came upon her. But she couldn't deny that it revolved around the guardian, and set it aside as she came up to him and his friends.

Kenneth was the first to take notice to her approaching presence, and greeted, "Oh, hello Peri. What brings you here?"

As everyone else took notice to her arrival, she informed, "Well, I came to tell you the location of the next Chieftain. Unless you wish to find them yourselves."

"That would be much appreciated." Prince said in gratitude.

"You're next destination will be the Isolated Kingdom to the west. Be warned, the next Chieftain there is very strict, and looks disfavorably on strangers."

"We'll manage somehow." Sora said with confidence, "We got this far, we'll just go all the way."

"Pika Pika!"

Next, Peri went over to Yolanda and Rina and requested in a hushed voice, "Watch out for Sora. He is strong, but a little too focused for his own good. He'll need both of your help to see this journey through to the end."

Both the girls nodded, and reassured, "You can count on us." When they realized they said it at the same time, they looked at each other weirdly, then turned away. With farewells said, and business concluded, everyone boarded their ship and waved good-bye to Peri and the people of Salure Island.

Once they were far enough away, Drake barked, "To the Isolated Kingdom!"

* * *

Later that afternoon, Peri went out to the coast by herself. She was waiting on a friend who would take her to her true home, now that her role had been accomplished. As she waited, she thought about Sora again and the kind of person he was. A boy who cherished his friendships with everyone he meets, and confident in his skills alongside them. It was no wonder that Rina would be interested in someone like him, especially if her life had been filled with hardships. As she thought, Peri noticed that her hand was trembling.

Bringing it close to her chest, she thought aloud, "I guess it was good for Sora to be focused. Otherwise, his aura might have sensed what was in my heart." At that moment, a lovely Gorebyss surfaced nearby. The slender, pink Pokémon called out to her for some reason only she knew about.

"I'm coming Gorebyss." She told it. She waded out until she was waist deep in the water, the current going around her like there was some kind of barrier protecting her. Once she was next to Gorebyss, she prayed, "Great queen, grant me this wish. That mine and Sora's paths cross once more. Let my heart ring out, of my newfound affection." Finished, both she and Gorebyss disappeared into the sea. And some time later, the shadow of a mermaid with a periwinkle tail and long, periwinkle hair flew into the air before diving back down once again.

* * *

Sora: Hey, is Rina okay? She seems restless?

Pewter: Rina seems fine to me. Though, a little troubled.

Sora: Was that her screaming just then?!

Pewter: Hurry Sora! Something's wrong!

 **Next time,**

 **In the Mist of Peril**


	20. Chapter 17: In the Mist of Peril

**So who's ready for another adventure? Well, let's keep going...**

 **PSYCHE! We're gonna take a little detour in this one. Not an author redirect, just a little wandering through the subconscious of one of our favorite mermaid friends. Because this one won't be brief like the last few.**

 **Also, as a little added bonus, try to spot the little references used throughout this chapter. There are several, some I know of and some I'm not. If you can spot them, try to figure out where they are from.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its characters. They belong to Game Freak and Nintendo. Now, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 17:

In the Mist of Peril

 _It all started in a carriage on a snowy evening. Rina found herself groggily coming to inside what appeared to be a human carriage. As she came more around, she noticed that she wasn't alone. Across the seat from her sat Sketch, nose dug deep into his sketch parchment, remaining unawares to her coming about. Rina could not see much of what was outside besides that it was snowing. She looked to herself next to find that she was adorned in a lovely, teal gown, with small gems adorning her skirt and top. The gems were sewn into patterns resembling that of the ocean, all comprised of sapphires and diamonds. Her dress had no sleeves, but she found that she was wearing sky-blue gloves that reached past her elbows, and she was wrapped in a teal cloak._

 _Unnerved by where she found herself, she spoke up, "Sketch, where are we going? What's happening?"_

 _Finally breaking away from his work, Sketch replied, "Oh, you awoke! Fret not Princess Rina, we are almost home now."_

 _"Home? Princess?"_

 _"Yes. To the Cerulean Palace for the ball. The prince has thrown it all in your honor."_

 _"For me?!"_

 _"Yes. Because you accepted his proposal. Your Majesty certainly asks a lot of questions for something she has eagerly awaited for so many years. Are you feeling unwell?"_

 _"Maybe just a little foggy." Rina admitted sheepishly, deciding to play along for now._

 _"Ah yes. It must have been because you were in a deep sleep." Sketch evaluated, "Anyway, we should be arriving home in a little bit." Sighing, Rina noticed a mirror to her right. When she looked at her reflection, she was stunned. She still had her normal hair, along with its length and the string of pearls in the back. But some of it was curled at the end, especially the strands on the sides of her face. Besides Yolanda's tiara, Rina also wore a gold headband with a tiny ruby dangling in the center. She lifted her left hand to see what she wore for earrings, when she noticed something on her ring finger: a gold ring with two pearls nestling a rather large diamond. She didn't recognize what the ring meant, but she knew it was significant. Very significant._

 _"Are you certain you are alright, Your Highness?" Sketch inquired further, "You seem deeply troubled."_

 _"Sketch, what is this ring?! How am I wearing such an important treasure?!" she urgently requested._

 _"Your Majesty certainly can jest. To answer you, that's your betrothal ring, as you are engaged since three winters ago."_

 _"Betrothed?!" You mean to tell me I'm getting married?!"_

 _"Well, of course. You knew that upon acceptance, did you not?"_

 _"But, how can I be getting married?!" And, to whom am I to be wed to?!"_

 _"So many questions, princess. All will be answered soon, for we have arrived." As Rina felt the carriage halt, she looked out the window to see where they had arrived at._

 _It was an expansive palace, stretching far into the distance, the courtyard where they just entered was just as expansive, slightly. It was all two-story, with a landing up front featuring a red carpet all the way up to the front doors. Guards lined the sides of the carpet, Growlithe and Herdier dutifully beside them to sniff out trouble. The snow was still coming down quite a bit, but each man outside did not disrupt his poise or show signs of cold. The awning over the landing featured an emblem of a sword crossing what appeared to be a lightning bolt, much like a coat of arms. Rina was flabbergasted. This was her palace?_

 _Shortly after stopping, Cancer appeared to open the door, dressed as the driver of the carriage in his yellow-and-blue uniform. "Your Majesty." He gestured._

 _As Sketch disembarked, Rina said hesitantly, "Sketch, you should know I can't walk on my own."_

 _"You have managed walking before princess." He told her, "The cold should be no bother."_

 _"It's not the cold. It's my lack of legs. You know…" then she whispered, "My tail."_

 _"Your Highness has such an imagination. Come down, please."_

 _Standing, she yelled, "I told you, I can't!" That's when it came to her attention about what she was doing. She was standing! Rina didn't understand how that could be. To stand, she would need legs. She didn't have those… she shouldn't have those. However, she hitched up her skirt a little, and found she had feet. Encased in royal-blue, heeled shoes, were feet! Hesitant, she tried taking a step down onto the stairs, and found herself moving forward unhindered. Then she took another step, and another, until she was level with Sketch._

 _"There you go, Your Majesty." Sketch complimented as he offered his arm, "Well then, shall we?" Linking her arm with his, Rina let him lead her up to the grand palace._

* * *

 _When Rina entered the ballroom, it took her breath away. A grand room with a smooth, glossy floor decorated with murals and patterns that felt as large as the ocean; tall windows on either side that reached higher than a Wailord showed the snow outside, torches burning brightly between each; glistening chandeliers hung high above, adorned with lights and candles that refracted through the glass marbles to give a whole new brightness to the place; and on the ceiling, murals depicting cherubs and Fairy Pokémon gazing down to the people below._

 _Upon her entrance, one of the servants blew a trumpet and proclaimed, "Presenting, Her Royal Highness, Princess Rina!" The guests present applauded and parted as Rina was escorted by Sketch to the other side of the room. Rina was amazed at the sheer number of people present in the palace. She could even pick out some of Sora's friends; Prince Pewter, Tidus, even Yolanda were among those from the crew present. Kari and Sarah were also there, alongside their lovers Drake and Kenneth._

 _Once Rina made it to the other end, she set herself on one of the thrones that Sketch designated for her. Once seated, she motioned, "Continue." And so the music resumed, and everyone continued dancing. Women in brightly decorated gowns sailed alongside their partners in their military tunics. Prince Pewter, seeming a little shy for some reason, was dancing with a maiden with long, green hair in a lilac-colored dress. Princess Yolanda was changing dance partners every time a new suitor asked her to dance, which happened a few times intermittently. Tidus was off to the side with Sparky and Dedenne, doing their own little dance away from the grownups. Alongside them looked to be a Poochyena, who sat near the wall while having Dedenne try to catch its tail. Drake and Kari floated among the other guests, twirling and soaring with hearts of merriment. Kenneth and Sarah did likewise, but Rina could almost spot her sister sporting a huge blush across her face. All in all, most everyone she had known and met were having a jolly time._

 _As the music continued, and the dancers glided, Rina asked her steward, "This is all for me?"_

 _"Yes, Your Majesty." Sketch answered with a bow, "All of this, for you."_

 _"You said the prince cast this festivity. But, where is he?"_

 _"Fair inquiry, princess. I shall look for him. In the meantime, remain here and enjoy the ball."_

 _As he departed, Rina muttered, "Kinda hard when I'm up here on my own." As if on cue, Azurill came into her lap, chipper and excited about something. "Azurill?! How'd you get here?"_

 _"Azurill Azu."_

 _"You've always been here? Well, thank you. Maybe you can keep me company for a bit." And so it did, as they both continued to watch the ball underway._

 _When the last song concluded, Teller came to the center of the floor to announce, "Esteemed guests, welcome! Today marks the eve of the matrimony of the princess of Cerulean, and the prince of Pallet!" The crowd applauded at the announcement, then stopped to allow him to continue. "Today is a time for merriment. Our prince seeks only to grant our guests to enjoy all that we have to offer. However, one such guest has yet to be graced with her distinctive honor." Turning towards the throne, Teller posed, "Dear prince, shall this maiden be forever neglected of you?"_

 _"Not so!" proclaimed a voice to Rina's left. And coming up to her, dressed in a sea-blue general's tunic, was the prince with his raven-black hair, a Pikachu on his right shoulder. "Princess Rina," Sora requested as he held out his hand, "Will you accept this dance?" She didn't respond right away. She was too stunned to do anything. She could feel her heart running rampant, her mind reeling from this revelation, her entire being trembling from all she was witnessing. However, she decided to figure it out later, and took Sora's hand. Sora then led Rina to the center of the floor, as guests made way for them. Once there, he rested his right hand on her waist, while she rested her left on his shoulder._

 _While the conductor directed the orchestra to ready themselves, Rina whispered, "Sora, I can't dance. I'll just step on your feet."_

 _With a smirk, he replied, "Then I will do my best to avoid yours." And before she knew it, the music began, and Sora began leading Rina in a soft opening. One-two-three, one-two-three, forward-together-back, sway and turn. Rina didn't know how she knew to dance, she had never seen humans dance before today. But she knew the steps to waltz alongside Sora. As she got more into the rhythm of the melody, she could feel a soft smile stretch upon her face._

 _"You're doing wonderful Rina." Sora whispered._

 _"How can we be dancing so well?" she asked, still reveling in how wonderful this was._

 _"Why ask such a question? You always were such graceful dancer. So fluid and majestic, like a mermaid."_

 _Rina blushed at his comment, and returned, "And you are so gentle, yet strong and passionate." Chuckling, Sora lifted Rina into the air quickly, then resumed their waltz. As the song reached its climax, he began twirling Rina around at certain points. As the song ended, she spun out, held on by her fingertips, and then spun into her prince so that their faces were mere inches away from each other._

 _The crowd applauded enthusiastically while Rina and Sora caught their breath. Rina could not believe how exhilarating it felt to dance, something she had never done before in her life. It felt so natural to her though, like she had done this many times before. And being close to Sora made it even more stimulating. She didn't want this to end._

 _So she asked softly, "Might we do… one more dance, my prince?"_

 _Smiling wide, Sora directed, "Conductor, another song, if you may."_

 _"Hold it!" someone barked from the entrance as they barged right in. Upon the menacing figure's entrance, guests cowered back as the wind howled in snow, dimming the ballroom in an eerie darkness. The black-cloaked figure drew back his hood, revealing himself to be Ragnar. Sora stood before him, shielding Rina as he approached._

 _"What foolishness have you wrought, great prince?" Ragnar scowled._

 _"How dare you enter Princess Rina's home!" Sora snapped back._

 _Feigning surprise weakly, Ragnar responded, "How cold of you. To your closest confidant."_

 _"Confidant? You are a traitor! A blackheart! Leave at once!"_

 _"You hold no command over me. Such hostility from the compasionate and friendly Prince of Pallet."_

 _"Leave!"_

 _"I will not! For you know why I have come." Then, the chill in the room grew as a dark shadow began to loom behind Ragnar. A cold being, grey, blue, and white like ice. It had what appeared to be two extra arms jutting from its back like ruined dragon wings, one being shorter than the other. It stood on two feet, its clunky body angled so it faced the prince and princess._

 _"Meet Kyurem! The dragon of the void!" Ragnar introduced. Kyurem scanned the mass of people, causing many to cower at its glare. "You cannot match the might of this behemoth! Not while I have these." Then he held up two large stones, one black and one white. Rina didn't know if it was the weather, Kyurem, or the stones, but she began to shiver violently. Sora took notice, and ordered for her cloak at once. Once it was given to him, he wrapped it around Rina as Ragnar taunted, "Love is a weakness, Sora. It will drag you to the grave."_

 _"Better to love than to have nothing at all." Sora retorted, "For I shall fight to protect everyone." Then, galloping into the hall and blasting Kyurem with a Hydro Pump, was a blue colt Pokémon with a mane of red, and a small horn protruding from its forehead. "Meet Keldeo! Honorable knight to the Cerulean Princess!" Sora proclaimed, "Entrusted to me to guard her from those that seek to do harm." Keldeo stood poised outside, ready to defeat Kyurem for its intrusion._

 _Rushing to Kyurem's side in the blizzard, Ragnar retorted, You fool! You made this too easy. Kyurem, Dragon Pulse!" So the Pokémon of the void shot two pulse blasts at its opponent, but Keldeo swiftly dodged them both._

 _"Use Double Kick!" Keldeo then charged, and slammed two mighty kicks with its rear hooves into Kyurem's face. It seemed unfazed by the super effective attack, as it glared at the Colt menacingly._

 _"Too weak." Ragnar guffawed, "Dragon Pulse!" Once more, two blasts were launched at the Colt._

 _This time, Sora countered, "Knock them back with Aqua Tail!" With its tail shining with water energy, Keldeo batted both Dragon Pulse's back at Kyurem. The impact created a billowing cloud of smoke within the wind, obscuring both attackers as a flash of red sparked from within. As it reappeared, Kyurem appeared to be standing upright, and was predominantly white. The tail glowed like fire, and was connected to its body by strange cables._

 _"So you chose to use Kyurem's stones, did you?" Sora gritted._

 _"Indeed." Ragnar replied, "This is White Kyurem, the empty truth!" Watching from the landing alongside everyone else, Rina couldn't understand how this Pokémon could transform. What did it mean for it to be White Kyurem? Was it a Mega Evolution?_

 _"Kyurem, Fusion Flare!" Fire energy burning, Kyurem generated a massive fireball above itself, turning the sky red. "Now, destroy the palace and all inside it!" Roaring, Kyurem readjusted its target, and fired where Rina and the others were._

 _"Keldeo, protect them with Hydro Pump!" Galloping to their defense, Keldeo shot two mighty jets of water from its front hooves, battling back against the Fusion Flare. With all its might, it finally managed to cancel out the attack._

 _Smiling, Ragnar commanded, "Now, Freeze Burn the prince!" In having to save the guests, Keldeo left Sora completely exposed. With it, Kyurem began drawing the cold all around it into itself, once more glowing red with energy. The charge was quick, and Kyurem blasted a concussive ice-blast that was mixed with flames. Sora barely managed to leap out of the way, escaping such a devastating attack by the skin of his teeth. Ragnar growled at the miss, and was angered even more when Keldeo managed to return to Sora's side._

 _"Well played Ragnar." Sora said as he dusted snow off his uniform, "But this is a battle. Retain what little honor you have left."_

 _"Who needs honor? Power is all that matters in battle." Ragnar retorted, "And now for more!" He lifted up the black stone above his head, causing Kyurem to react. Then, the black stone was sucked behind them, melding into its tail._

 _As the white stone returned to Ragnar, Kyurem changed again. Much of its appearance was similar to its white form, but black. And its tail and wires glowed blue with a strange electricity._

 _"Now for Black Kyurem, the barren ideal! Strike with Fusion Bolt!" This time, an orb of electric energy surrounded Kyurem, and it charged at Keldeo with frightening speed._

 _Deciding that enough was enough, Sora commanded, "Use Secret Sword!" With a mighty cry, Keldeo began to change form. In the process, a great blade of light extended from its head, clashing with the Fusion Bolt. As it held the attack back, Keldeo's improved form was revealed. With its mighty sword, Keldeo's horn elongated, grew larger, and was black in color. In addition, yellow, green, and blue tassels hung from its new horn. With a great push, Keldeo batted Black Kyurem back._

 _"Now Ragnar, meet Keldeo's Resolute Form!" Sora proclaimed, "With this, we are even!"_

 _"So you were holding back up till now?!" Ragnar growled, "Grr! I will not be made a fool of. Freeze Shock!" Once more, Kyurem drew all the cold into itself, this time crackling with electricity. The charge was once again quick, and it launched a concussive blast at the defenders. Despite the peril, Sora smiled. And with great confidence, Keldeo stepped forward with its great blade, and diverted the blast around itself and him. It was impressive, but costly. Keldeo fell onto its knee shortly after, gripped with pain from the attack._

 _"Keldeo!" Sora and Rina cried out in unity._

 _"Looks like your knight has met his match." Ragnar laughed, "None can oppose the might of Kyurem and Ragnar!" Suddenly, Blue fire engulfed Sora, and his gaze became fierce and focused. Rina quickly recognized it as his aura, but didn't understand why it was appearing now._

 _"We're not finished yet, Ragnar." Sora spoke as if two voices were speaking together. Next, he gathered a portion of his aura into a ball of light, and cast it into Keldeo. The energy he gave it re-energized the Sword Pokémon, healing its injuries. As it stood, Sora continued, "You believe power is the only force of strength? Wrong! There is another. One which you will never comprehend. The power to care for another more than yourself. The power of compassion!"_

 _"Enough! I grow tired of this useless prattling. Kyurem, Glaciate!" As Kyurem returned to its first form, it gathered ice and frost around itself. If it unleashed this attack, not only would Sora be in danger, but everyone for miles would be frozen in it. Understanding that haste was essential, Keldeo galloped forward, Secret Sword shining forth through the cold. Kyurem tried to form a barrier to gain all the power it needed, but it was all in vain. Keldeo's sword came down, slipping through the barricade like butter, and making contact with the dragon inside. All was still, both Pokémon frozen after the clash. Everyone waited with bated breath for the final result of whether they would live or freeze. Then, the terrible dragon collapsed, and Keldeo recalled his blade as he returned to his normal form. A great cheer came from the spectators, for the prince had vanquished a mighty foe. Rina was very proud of her prince, and relieved he and Keldeo vanquished such prevailing opponents._

 _As Kyurem was returned to his Pokéstone, Ragnar retorted, "This defeat shall bring about your demise, Prince Sora. By the powers of my people, I cast upon you a great curse!" Everyone immediately fell silent, some murmuring worriedly. "Mark my words," Ragnar continued, "You, and all those you cherish will perish within the fortnight! We will not rest until we see the end of you kind perish, for all eternity!" Pounding the ground, he swept the palace with a mighty gale, blinding all present. When it settled, he was gone._

* * *

 _After the incident, Prince Sora requested everyone to begin leaving to safety. No one knew whether to take Ragnar's threat seriously, but Sora would not take any chances with all the innocents gathered in his mistress's home. Only a few chose to remain, though. His closest friends and followers objected to leaving the prince facing this matter alone, and so decided unanimously to stay. Debate was pointless with them, so Sora accepted their aid and comfort._

 _As for Rina, she went to the balcony overseeing the courtyard, watching everyone depart for their homes. The snow had lightened up extensively, making it clearer to see and less cold to bear. However, she could not help the shivering she felt due to Ragnar's threat. With how much he loathed Sora, she wouldn't put it past him to bring ruin in the form of a prophecy. She had no doubt those weren't just words, but a promise. If that were to happen, she worried about what she would be forced to live with. Even with Azurill held close to her for assurance and comfort, Rina still couldn't overcome her developing terror._

 _Just then, a hand came upon her shoulder, and chased away the fear, replacing it with warmth and hope. Rina looked behind her to find Sora and Pikachu coming up beside her._

 _"I know Ragnar's words haunt you." He began, "I would be lying if I said I wasn't bothered by what he said."_

 _"What atrocious mannerisms!" She spoke with disdain, "Ragnar has never let you be, has he?"_

 _"Not for years. Of which you know."_

 _"I figured. But now, I wrestle with the thought that he will come to end you like he said he would."_

 _"I know. But Rina, know that I will not submit to the darkness that is to come. I have too much at stake to surrender. So much."_

 _"Indeed."_

 _Stroking her hair to the side, he resumed, "And I have you too. Like with Pikachu, I care too much to lose you. With our union so close, I could not live with myself if I should fail you."_

 _"Sora…"_

 _"Rina, Pikachu and I both agreed to my proposal. And I want you to be with me to the rest of my days."_

 _"Pikapi Pikachu." Pikachu chirped as he hopped onto Rina's shoulder._

 _"And when Pikachu makes a friendship like this, you know how devoted he becomes."_

 _"I do. Me and Azurill both."_

 _Rina…" Sora whispered._

 _"Yes?" Rina softly responded. Their faces drew closer, and they closed their eyes. Was this to be the moment Rina hoped for?_

 _To their utter dismay, the palace rocked as explosions went off all around them. They heard various guards call out that it was an attack, and all went forth to confront the assailants. Sora and Pikachu didn't hesitate to react, as they drew Rina into the palace and down the halls._

 _"We need to escape!" Sora told her, "Find shelter in Pallet, and prepare plans to strike back."_

 _"Where can we flee?" Rina asked, "The enemy is all around us."_

 _"We'll figure out a way." Though Rina could tell that fear had set in with Sora too. As powerful as he was, to face this kind of assault must have rocked his confidence._

 _They made it to the ballroom, but found their only exit being barricaded by Conkeldurr and Swampert as they held back black-clad warriors trying to bust down the door._

 _Sketch came up to the two royals at once, and directed, "Here, behind the throne!" Clasping a hidden lever under the arm, he opened a hidden stairwell behind Rina's throne. "Teller and Pewter will hold the enemy back. You two must fly at once!"_

 _"Thank you Sketch." Sora replied._

 _But as he led her down, Rina stopped and asked urgently, "Wait! Sketch, what about you?"_

 _"You are my sole responsibility, princess. I must see that you and Sora are safely away."_

 _"Come with us! Please!"_

 _"I will not. I will only slow you down."_

 _"Sketch, come with us!" Sora ordered._

 _"I am sorry, prince Sora. But I must help hold the enemy back. To delay them so you may escape to live another day. Good bye, my friends."_

 _"Sketch!" But it was no use, for he had closed the path. Then they heard something fall, and Rina could tell he had disabled the door for good. Sora and Rina hurried against the door, pounding and calling out to Sketch. Pikachu tried using its Thunderbolt to shock it open, with no success. Dismayed, it diverted its efforts to comforting the young Azurill in this frightening situation. As they yearned to reach their friend, the two heard a huge 'BOOM' that rocked even the escape tunnel. Neither of them wanted to leave their friends, but they couldn't be captured either. With great pain, both of them retrieved their Pokémon as they fled down into a torch-lit corridor. They made their way with all haste down into the depths, taking caution to potential threats along the way._

 _"There should be a Rapidash or a Zebstrika ahead." Sora informed Rina, "We'll mount them as quickly as we can, then flee along the forest road towards my kingdom. We'll be safe there."_

 _"But Sora, what about our friends?" Rina brought up, "You heard what Ragnar said. He'll kill them all while we flee." Sora stopped, head down as Rina said that. She stopped behind him, and began to hear him cry._

 _"I know." He whimpered, "No matter what, our friends might end up dead. If I could, I would've stayed to fight."_

 _"Sora, I'm sorry." Rina tried to reconcile._

 _"Rill Azu."_

 _Wiping the tears away, Sora turned and continued, "But Rina, as long as we are alive, they will continue to fight. As long as we live, hope remains. That's why they want us to escape. I feel guilty and torn to do this, but I must accept the wishes of my friends."_

 _"Then what do we do?"_

 _"Find help, become stronger, and prepare for the storm that is to come. If we do that, we can ensure our triumph. And if we're lucky, save our friends. No matter what, I will not leave them to be slaughtered." Steeling himself once more, Sora led Rina the remainder of the way out. It looked to be home-free, with no enemies in sight. As they made it out of the dark passage, they were conked out by three cloaked men. All Rina could make of them before losing consciousness was that they wore masks to hide their eyes, and had short, white hair. She saw them snatch Pikachu and Azurill, and then nothingness overcame her._

* * *

 _The empty void was all Rina could see, hear, and feel. There wasn't a soul around, save for herself. She felt empty, listless, unattached as she sat in this blank space, with nothing but darkness all around her._

You aren't dead. _Came a woman's voice. But Rina hardly registered the claim._

 _So another one snapped,_ Hello! You are not dead, little sister! _Rina snapped to attention, looking around for the voices that spoke to her._

Finally, the dense one awakens. _Sighed a third in an annoyed fashion._

 _"Who's there?! Who are you?!" Rina demanded. At that moment, she was forced to shield her eyes as three shining figures appeared before her. They looked to be mermaids, but seemed to float in the air. The middle figure was the most distinctive, with a tall crown and wielding a trident._

 _"You know, we did kinda warn you before." The middle figure told her._

 _"About what?" Rina gritted as she continued to look away._

 _"About his fate. That boy, the guardian, he is doomed to die. We have seen it."_

 _"I don't believe that!"_

 _"It is predestined. Sora will meet his end by one who shall be too great, even for him, to overcome."_

 _"Yeah, so? That can be changed."_

 _"How can you do that?" the second mermaid, the one on Rina's right, questioned, "What can you possibly do that will alter his destiny?"_

 _"I don't know yet." Rina admitted openly, "But I can do something. One way or another, I can help save Sora."_

 _"Stubborn as a Tauros, aren't you?" the final figure scoffed ton Rina's left._

 _"I'm afraid there is no hope to protect him, little sister." The middle one warned, "You must not become too attached to the guardian. For he will fall, and you will live on."_

 _"Why?!" Rina roared at them, "Why should I live while Sora dies?!"_

 _"Because you are our successor." With that final word, the three mermaid figures disappeared. In their absence, cries of torture, pain, and anguish filled the void. Rina recognized them as Sora's friends. She could pick out who was screaming: Sparky, Violet, the prince, Tidus, Opal, Teller, Sketch, even Yolanda. She also heard her sisters squeal out pleas of death and despair. They bore into Rina's mind as she tried to block them out. Then, she heard a voice she hoped wouldn't cry out. Sora begged for the pain and torture to end, he pleaded that he could be released from the torment. He even asked for death to be his deliverer._

 _"Stop it! Stop it!" Rina sobbed, collapsing to the ground, "No more! Please, no more!"_

 _The last words she heard were of the one mermaid with the crown, echoing,_ We warned you.

* * *

 _As Rina came to, she realized she was in a strange dungeon deep in the earth. Stalactites loomed menacingly overhead like spikes on the ceiling, a chasm stretched out in front of her that lead to an eternal darkness, skeletons lined the walls like ghouls. The space was terrifying to witness. Rina tried moving, but her ankles and wrists were chained to the wall, keeping her immobile. Her dress was torn, and her hair was a mess. But none of these things concerned Rina more than the horrific sight across the room._

 _"Sora!" she called out to the unconscious prince. But he did not stir, yet remained where he was bound on the wall. Unaware that he was unconscious, Rina began to fear that he was truly dead. She struggled with all her might to break free from her chains, wrestling and squirming, writhing and jerking, but the clasps of iron held onto her tightly to the point where it hurt to even move. In her dismay, Rina let out the tears she had welling up in her eyes._

 _"No. This can't… be." She wept._

 _During her overwhelming sorrow, a hooded man descended from the stairs on her right, on Sora's side of the chasm. He carried a gigantic axe that could cleave an Ursaring in two with just one swipe. He strode over to Sora slowly, as if eying for how Rina would react to his presence. When he approached the prince, he examined the boy to see if he was dead or still breathing. Whatever the case, he hefted his axe and gazed at Rina, who watched in utter horror of what was to come._

 _"Till death do you part." He spoke in a voice like Ragnar's. And he swung at Sora._

"SSSOOOORRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Rina awoke from the dream with a great jolt. She was frightened so immensely that she fell out of her hammock and scrambled to the wall. Azurill shot awake, as did Kari and Sarah. Wondering what awoke them with such malice, they immediately spotted Rina huddled against the wall, her tail held up to her chest as she shook violently.

"Rina, what's wrong?!" Kari inquired urgently, "What happened?!" But she didn't respond. She was in too much shock to register the world around her. Pretty soon, almost everyone came to the room to see what the outburst was all about. When they saw Rina cowering, most of them went to her to see what was wrong.

"What happened?" Drake interrogated the two sisters.

"We don't know." Sarah answered, "Rina just screamed out Sora's name, and went over there like something frightened her beyond normal."

"Does she do this a lot?" Kenneth asked.

"No. Not really."

"Actually," Kari pondered, "She has done this before. But never this strongly."

Coming up to her, Drake investigated, "When did she do this?"

"A couple years ago." She recalled, "That was when she had a premonition about us being in danger."

"Premonition? You mean, like a vision?"

"Exactly. Those are really the only dreams she has. Premonitions of things to come." Both Drake and Kenneth were disturbed by this news. And since Rina shrieked out Sora's name, they wondered if it might involve him.

With the others, getting close to Rina was proving to be quite difficult. Any time anyone tried to touch her, she would lash out in defense. When Yolanda tried comforting her, she received a slap from her tail. Even the younger members didn't try to get close to her because of her instability. At last, Sora bounded down into the room to see what was wrong. He went over to Rina, and saw how afraid she appeared to be. He took note to a couple of injuries she had caused upon lashing out, and approached with caution. He barely glanced her skin when she swatted his hand away roughly. But he didn't give up, and tried a second time. This time, he removed his gloves so that he might make more direct contact. When Rina tried to fight him this time, Sora caught her by the wrist.

"Rina, don't be afraid." He said in a soothing tone, "It's me." Rina was about to swing her tail but Sora noticed it twitch and pinned it with his leg.

"Let me go!" she wailed, writhing to escape, "Leave me alone!" Sora gripped her shoulders firmly, pressing her flat on her back in an effort to hold her down.

"Rina, calm down." Sora urged in a firmer tone. Prince Pewter and Yolanda made a move to aid him, but Lucario held them back. This was Sora's struggle.

"No! Sora! Must save Sora!" She whined, struggling with all her might.

"Rina, look at me! I'm Sora! I'm right here!" Seeing that Rina was not receiving what he told her, Sora made a last-ditch attempt to settle her down: he slapped her across the face. Everyone stood aghast at his pulling such a violent method on Rina, much less committing the act altogether. However, it did the trick. Rina opened her eyes, and the panic they once held was removed from her gaze. She began to focus more clearly, and found Sora hovering over her.

"Sora…" she muttered. Then, she broke down in tears as Sora got her up.

"Ms. Rina, are you—" Sparky started to ask. But Sora stopped her, then picked Rina up as he started to leave.

"Rina needs rest." He told everyone, "I'll take her to my quarters so that she might have it, and I can watch over her."

Wary, Yolanda perked, "Um Sora, do you think that's wise to have Rina in your quarters? Wouldn't it be better if she stayed in mine?"

"Maybe. But we still need to find out what scared her so much. I'll set up her hammock and let her rest. We can investigate in the morning."

"Sora, I don't think—"

"That should be fine." Drake interrupted, taking down the hammock Rina slept in, "But make sure not to try any funny business."

"C'mon Drake. I have more honor than that." Taking the hammock from him, Sora made his way to his room with Rina nestled in his arms and Azurill following behind.

* * *

Having tied the last knot, Sora announced to his Pokémon and Rina, "There. All set."

"Lar?" Larvitar quizzed.

"For Rina to sleep here for the night."

"Thank y-you Sora." Rina said with a hiccup.

Setting down next to her, Sora returned, "You're welcome. Are you feeling any better now?"

"A little. I just seem to be reeling from the nightmare I had."

"That must have been some nightmare. I bet even Aurora heard you cry out when you did." Sora quickly felt a spark shock his arm, and noticed Pikachu giving him a disapproved look. So he apologized, "Sorry. Bad time for jests. Besides, you need your sleep."

As Sora began taking off his cape and hat, Rina spoke up while looking down at her tail, "Before that, can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure."

Looking at her hand that had the ring in the dream, Rina asked, "Would you ever consider, if you weren't engaged to Yolanda, to… I mean, have you… could you ever consider spending… spending the rest of your life with… with someone like… me?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sora wondered.

"Well, say I wasn't a mermaid. Say I was just another human like you. Would you ever decide, when you could, to marry someone like me?"

"Marry you?!" Sora gasped, "Well, I'm not too sure about marrying anyone right now. I still am unsure about marrying Yolanda."

"I see." Rina spoke dejectedly.

"But," he picked up, "If given enough time, and possibly after this hurdle with the Cheiftains, I believe I would consider marrying. Even you, mermaid or human."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But, don't worry. If that should ever come to pass, I'll wait until you are ready for such a commitment." Rina didn't respond immediately, leaving them both in an awkward silence. So Sora urged Pikachu, Larvitar, and Azurill to go to sleep.

As they conked out, Rina finally spoke, "You would still do that? Propose? Even though I'm different? You would wait for me?"

Caught a little unawares, Sora answered, "Yeah, I would. I would wait for you."

"But Sora, you'd be wrong." Rina mumbled audibly, "The truth is…"

"Yeah."

Facing him, she cried, "The truth is, I'd be waiting for you!" What happened next was that Sora's staff clattered onto the floor, and Rina lay against Sora's chest. As she cried the last of her sorrow out, Sora tenderly hugged her close as he tried to wrap his mind around what just happened.

"Rina…" he uttered.

"Please, don't say anything." She wept in his chest, "Just… hold me." Stroking her head softly, he acknowledged the request. "Thank you." A few moments of silence passed between them, neither of them making a sound or a gesture.

"It'll be alright." Sora whispered softly, "I'm… I'm right here."

 **Rina: This is bad. Sora is really sick.**

 **Yolanda: What are we to do?! None of our medicines will work!**

 **Rina: There might still be a way.**

 **Yolanda: What is it?! Rina, tell me!**

 **Rina: It involves a mermaid's Rite of Ascension.**

Next time,

Tail of Compassion


	21. Chapter18:A Tail of Compassion(Redirect)

**Hey guys. So, here's some good news and bad news. The good news is, new chapter for you guys. Bad news, I can't put it up here because it has a song in here that might take the story off FF. So yeah, got another link for you.**

 **rsbcs**

 **.deviantart**

 **art/The-Guardian-**

 **and-Maiden-of-**

 **the-Sea-**

 **Ch-18-584133791**

 **There is a link to the song used in here, and if you want to experience the scene in its entirety, I'd highly recommend playing the song while you read the scene. Beyond that, I hope you enjoy, and see you all when the next chapter comes up.**

 **Speaking of, I didn't mention this in MMPPD, but I should here. I ran out of buffer chapters for both stories, so I have to abandon my weekly updating schedule. :(. However, I do have the next chapter for this story already written out, and just need to transcribe it. So this one might come sooner if school doesn't bog me down (which it has). I'll do my best to get these stories continuing, as well as the other ones I have up or in the works. Let's just hope my brain can work alongside with my yearning to finish.**

 **Adios amigos, and arigato.**


	22. Chapter 19: A Guardian's Best Friend

**Note to writer: DON'T LEAVE A STORY IN DEVELOPMENT FOR OVER A YEAR! NOT COOL!**

 **Sorry about that guys. This next chapter took way longer than I anticipated. Biggest reason being that it was so hard to actually write it out at times. The chapter idea was given to me by a friend from DA: tati611. His idea I felt had a lot of merit for this, and could be a good bit of character development to press on from the doom and gloom of the last couple of chapters.**

 **So this one, rather than focus on Sora or the mermaids, will actually be about his apprentice. Yep, it's Tidus' turn in the spotlight! Hope you all enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon (for however long I need to say that, I think it's pretty obvious at this point in time). All rights to Game Freak and Nintendo. And Satoshi, the man behind the concept for Pokemon [little trivia: he came up with the idea to share his joy of bug-catching with other people. Crazy, right?]**

* * *

Guardian and Maiden of the Sea

Chapter 19:

A Guardian's Best Friend

Cruising on a tropical afternoon with the sun at its peak, Sora stared down at his apprentice as Tidus lifted his wooden practice sword. Sora held his staff at the ready, and his pupil charged with a mighty roar. In a flash, Tidus found himself on the ground and his practice weapon pressed lightly against his chest. It was then he realized that Sora had disarmed him in the instant, and knocked him down without even a flap from his cape. Kari and Sarah, who were in observance on the side along with Sparky, Rina, Cancer, and Yolanda were laughing their heads off, making Tidus's defeat even more humiliating.

"Cut it out you two!" Rina reprimanded to her sisters.

"Sorry. But that was just too funny." Kari sighed as she started to calm down.

"Yeah." Sarah joked, "Almost as much as Psyduck." Suddenly, the two of them were lightly whacked on the head, interrupting their inappropriate humor.

"That wasn't very nice, you know." Sora muttered to them.

"Well you didn't have to be so harsh about it." Sarah grumbled, soothing her head.

"With how Sora trains Tidus, he kinda has the right to be harsh." Kenneth pointed out while working on one of the sails, tying it down to catch the incoming wind. "After all, he is his apprentice."

"Whatever." They both huffed in annoyance.

Despite it passing, Tidus still felt ashamed at how easily beaten he was. No doubt due to Sora learning to master aura, but he still felt like he wasn't making any progress in his training. His knowledge about Pokémon and Pokémon care had improved substantially since becoming Sora's apprentice, yet every other aspect about becoming a guardian was still difficult to attain. And he had been training for over a year now. It made him wonder if he would ever become a guardian like Sora.

Seeing the dejected look on his face, Yolanda went over to Tidus while the mermaids argued with Sora about earlier. "What's the matter Tidus?" She inquired.

"Nothing." Tidus fibbed.

"It's okay Tidus. You don't need to feel ashamed."

"I'm not ashamed. Just disappointed."

"Well, you don't have to feel like that either." The princess assured, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You're not doing anything wrong."

"But Princess Yolanda, I've been training under Master Sora for more than a year!" Tidus began to whine. "And in all that time, he floors me before I can even make a move. How am I still so weak?"

Massaging his shoulder, Yolanda explained, "I don't believe you're weak. And neither does Sora. We all believe you have much strength, and so much potential."

"In what? Being a court jester?"

"Don't even jest about that! Maybe you aren't as good at combat as Sora is, but I do know you are brilliant when it comes to tactics in battle."

When Yolanda mentioned how good he was at strategy, Tidus perked back up and wondered, "Really?"

"Really. You'll become a great guardian because of how careful and wise you are. Knowledge is power, after all."

With that inspiration, Tidus looked back up to see Sparky and Dedenne talking with Rina. His master was engaged with them in some conversation, and Tidus saw his chance. Keeping well out of eyesight from the three, as well as signaling everyone to not give him away, Tidus silently snuck up to Sora from behind. When he was close enough, he swiped his practice sword from Sora, then pointed it behind his head.

"Gotcha!" he cheered.

However, Sora said with a chuckle, "You forgot one little thing Tidus." Then Tidus felt something tickling him in the stomach. As he held back his laughter, Tidus looked down to see Pikachu using his tail to tickle him. Pretty soon, he couldn't hold it in any longer and was on the ground laughing hysterically.

Feeling like she was missing out, Sparky moaned, "Aw! I want to be tickled too!"

"Maybe another time Sparky." Cancer tittered in response.

* * *

When Sora and Tidus got back into training, Kari went inside the ship through the mermaids' room to see Drake. When she found him, he was thoroughly investigating a couple planks that appeared wet and moldy.

"Well that's not good," he muttered.

"What is it Drake?" she asked him.

A little startled, Drake replied, "Oh Kari, perfect timing. We seem to be having a little water problem down here."

"What's wrong with that?"

"The wood on the hull is conditioned for being in the ocean, but here inside the brig it's beginning to rot. We need to treat it soon, but we don't have any more spare lumber."

"Well we are quite fortunate then. Sarah's Buizel had come across a nearby inlet due northwest of where we are currently heading, and it is covered in a dense forest."

"Let's see if that works. We'll set a course for this new island at once." And he headed on deck to make the changes for this island.

* * *

About an hour past noon, the ship came ashore upon the island Kari described. Luckily, the only inhabitants made known were some local Pokémon such as Mightyena, Aipom, Ariados, Yanma, Victreebel, Teddiursa, and Taillow. Drake made it known why they were coming ashore, and allowed them to do as they will until repairs were finished. So most of the group decided to be productive in their dealings today. Sarah managed to pull Kenneth aside to help him learn to swim; Prince Pewter, Teller, and Sketch went over charts to plan their route as well as get a lay of what the maps lacked, like the temple from the other day; Sora continued to train Tidus on the shore, though did try to lighten it up so he could have a higher moral of himself; Cancer accompanied Drake and Sarah as they went to retrieve lumber with a new invention of his to help cut down wood; And Yolanda, despite holding some misgivings about the idea, pulled Rina aside and tried to learn more about her and her sisters from before the voyage began.

While that was all going on, Opal brought Sparky along with him to find fresh ingredients for future meals. However, he and Pansage often had to restrain her whenever she got distracted by all the Pokémon around them. She certainly was an eager one, and he made a mental note of that for the future. As they were strolling along another part of the woods, Sparky noticed some strange plants nearby while Opal was gathering Cheri Berries.

"Hey Opal, what are these blue, squiggly things?" she brought to his attention.

When he came over to see what it was she was referring to, he marveled, "Well well, what a treat! Kelpsy Berries."

"Kelpsy Berries?"

"Yes. Although quite bitter, these berries can do wonders with even the sweetest of delectable dishes. And, it is said they help Pokémon in looking more beautiful."

"Wow cool! Is it a rare berry?" Sparky asked, eyes sparkling in excitement.

"Quite rare. We'd best take whatever we find back to the ship." Excited by the prospect, Sparky began hastily collecting Kelpsy Berries. Her Dedenne pitched in too, collecting ones closer to the roots.

She was on the last couple of berries when she tried one, only to find it pulling back and being reluctant to come with her. So she tried harder with her Pokémon pitching in, and, with assistance from Opal and Pansage, one mighty tug finally dislodged the berry. However, this revealed a Beedrill snacking on the other end of the berry.

"BEEDRILL!" they both cried out in terror. Before a swarm could emerge, the two of them plus their Pokémon raced off to another part of the forest. Not long after that, they came across a group of Ariados, and fled in another direction to avoid angering them. Pretty soon after, they ran into a pair of Ursaring that gave chase as they darted away. They ran for their lives, and hoped to escape this nightmare.

Retreating into a small cavern that was just big enough for her, Sparky stopped to catch her breath. Right now, she was really wanting to find her way back to the ship and play with everyone there, especially everyone's Pokémon. That became a bit complicated to consider when she and Dedenne realized their current situation: separated from Opal with no idea about where they were on the island. She had been so busy running for her life that she had gotten them good and lost in a strange cave. Sparky didn't like that the two of them were so far away from everyone and that they didn't know where to go. It was then that Dedene's ears perked up, and it took off further into the cave with Sparky quickly following behind.

The tunnel was like a maze, with forks along their path further in. Even if Dedenne led them down one path, there would be another with more path options to choose from. Despite this, the little mouse Pokémon continued on some sort of route through the caves, leading Sparky further in with the hope they were reaching a path outside and a chance at reuniting with the rest of their company. After all the twists and turns in the cavern, the two of them finally made it somewhere outside. The only hitch was that they had ended up on a small bluff dominated by a single tree hanging precariously on the edge, its trunk leaning out towards the sea with leaves hiding its branches inside.

"We must be on the other side of the island," Sparky figured.

"Denne." Dedenne squeaked in agreement.

"Maybe we should go back." But before they could, some sticky webbing shot past them and blocked the entrance behind them. Sparky went to try and remove it, but found it too sticky that she was having trouble yanking her hands away. Turning to look behind her, she spotted a pair of menacing eyes glow red from within the tree hedge. Whatever was inside the tree, Sparky grew scared about meeting whatever this new face was going to be.

* * *

Back at the _Aura_ , Tidus decided to take a little break from training. He sat under the eaves of one of the trees as he watched his master train with Pikachu, Larvitar, and some of his other Pokémon. He was using the Aura sword to practice defense with his team, taking pointers from Lucario and Prince Pewter when required. His master was so cool, Tidus felt lucky to have a great mentor like him. Princess Yolanda was right; Sora still helped him come a long ways from where he initially was, and grow in knowledge and compassion like his master. He would become a guardian someday, and he knew his master could help him to be the best.

Then Tidus looked over to the princess and Rina, and Rina was brushing Yolanda's hair to his surprise. Knowing how protective Yolanda was with her relationship to Sora, he figured the princess would take forever to be this friendly with the mermaid. Yet the two seemed to have gotten to be on good terms and he was made to wonder when and how this had occurred. As he continued to gaze at Rina though, he couldn't help but remember the whole Mermaid Pendant incident a while back, particularly when Sparky was changed into a mermaid. After hearing how his master was saved by Rina and meeting her in-person, Tidus sometimes fantasized a similar occurrence happening to him: he would be doing some great feat in something like a storm, and be thrusted into the sea. And before he would pass out, he would be rescued by a shadow of a mermaid. And somehow, the shadow looked a bit like Sparky.

Just as he was about to go into his daydream, Opal rushed by and startled him back into reality.

"Hey Opal!" he griped, "What's the big idea?!" He found his answer when several Beedrill and a pair of Ursaring came charging after the esteemed chef, forcing Tidus to retreat to the company. Alerted to their arrival, Sora, Prince Pewter, and Sketch began to retaliate.

"Hawlucha, help us out!"

"Forretress, go!"

"Push them back, Scyther!"

With that, the three engaged the attacking Pokémon. Scyther took charge of dealing with the Beedrill, using its sword-like hands to deflect their needed and stingers while slashing back at them. Due to the fact that it was an elderly Scyther though, it got winded rather quickly. After using a Sword Dance/Slash combo, Scyther hunched over and panted from the exertion. Luckily, Forretress protected it with Rapid Spin and held off the Beedrill until Scyther recovered. Hawlucha took on the two Ursaring, not even backing down from such intense foes. Since these bear Pokémon were so enraged, Hawlucha easily dodged their efforts and countered with its High Jump Kick and Karate Chop. Once they saw how tough their opponents were, the attacking Pokémon retreated back to the woods.

As the three Trainers returned their comrades, Tidus went up to Opal and shouted, "What was all that about?!"

"I am terribly sorry." Opal said with a low bow, "Sparky and I were foraging for new ingredients when we ran into trouble. Pansage and I were too lax in being aware for trouble."

"Don't overthink it Opal." Prince Pewter assured, "You had no way of knowing. You and Sparky should be happy to still be in one piece."

Taking notice, Tidus inquired, "Where is Sparky? Did you guys get separated?"

"I could have sworn she was right behind me in the chase." Opal told them.

"What?! You don't know where she is?!"

"Take it easy Tidus." Sora said to calm his apprentice, "I'll go look for her. Everyone else, stay here." And so he went into the woods, followed by Pikachu and Larvitar.

As he left, Tidus couldn't help the sudden urge growing inside of him. Even though Sora knew her the longest, he felt that he was the closest to Sparky. He wanted to be the one to find and rescue her, he wanted to be the hero. So he raced after his master, not even heeding the others as they called out to him.

* * *

Sora moved swiftly and with caution, making sure not to disturb any wild Pokémon that just wanted to mind their own business. He knew Sparky had Dedenne, and that they could protect themselves if needed. The thing was that not only was Dedenne not a very strong Pokémon, but sparky did not have very much battle experience. If they ended up facing something beyond their abilities or one that used slippery tactics, they could wind up in immense danger. So haste was necessary.

After looking around, Sora spotted footprints some ways into the woods. Tiny footprints that could only belong to someone Sparky's size. Pikachu gave them a quick sniff, and confirmed they were Sparky's. He followed his Pokémon's lead as Pikachu proceeded to sniffing out the trail. Before too long, they ran into a rock wall that loomed high over them, cutting the sky in half. Pikachu then pointed to a small hole in the wall where the footprints entered. Sora looked inside to find it was composed of a myriad of passageways, with very little light going inside.

"It's too small for me." Sora evaluated, "I won't be able to go through."

"Pika, Pi Pika?"

"Even though you and Larvitar can fit, what if Sparky is hurt? She'll need someone who can help heal her if needed."

"Pika." Pikachu muttered, his ears drooping. Just then, Larvitar gestured to Sora to tell him that there was something in the brush behind them. Sora stood up, using his aura to ascertain the presence.

When he did, he told it, "I know you're there. Come on out." And stumbling out of the woods came Tidus. Sora sighed when he discovered it was his apprentice hiding there, but he had an idea as to why he would appear like this. Even so, he was still disappointed at this act of disobedience, still he knew better than to judge. So he returned to the dilemma he was trying to solve before him.

Tidus, being aware of how much trouble he was in, immediately pleaded, "I'm so sorry master, I really am. Please forgive me."

"Not right now Tidus." His master responded, "We have to figure out how to follow Sparky's trail. The footprints lead into this tunnel, but it's too small for me. I could send a Pokémon in, but they won't know how to help Sparky if she's hurt. They don't know first aid like Lucario or Chansey do." Tidus pondered all Sora told him, contemplating how to best this conundrum.

When he hit upon an idea, he announced, "I can go! I'm small enough to fit, and I can provide some first aid like you taught me."

"That's too risky. What if you run into a hostile Pokémon in there? You still don't have your own."

"Well then, let me go with Pikachu. It can lead the way as well as battle Pokémon we run into." That argument effectively put Sora in checkmate.

With reluctance, he agreed to the apprentice's plan and instructed, "Find Sparky and bring her right back. However, if something should go wrong, withdraw back here. We'll figure something else out if we need to."

"Yes master."

"Pikachu, keep an eye on him." Pikachu grumbled his acknowledgement before leading Tidus down the tunnel. When they disappeared, Sora prayed, "Be careful Tidus."

"Lar." Larvitar said in comfort.

* * *

"Hey Pikachu, are you sure you know where we're going?" Tidus questioned the yellow rodent. Glaring back, Pikachu scolded him for doubting its abilities. "Sorry sorry! It's just… we're taking an awful long time trying to find Sparky, and I'm getting worried." Pikachu puffed out its chest proudly to assure Tidus that he knew what he was doing. "You're right. We'll find them. So let's go!" And they resumed their trek.

While Pikachu was able to pick up Sparky's trail to a degree, the natural shape and size of the tunnel allowed slight breezes to pass by, throwing the scent elsewhere. When that happened, Pikachu had to find it again to resume their search. However one time this happened at a fork, and all the paths gave off Sparky's scent, so the lightning mouse could not pick a direction. Tidus picked up on this and began thinking back on his vast knowledge of Pokémon abilities and traits for a solution.

"Let's see…" he muttered in thought, "If we can't pick up her scent in these tunnels, we'll need to use another means of finding where Sparky went." He began recalling all he knew about every Pokémon known to exist so far in order to find a solution. Pikachu had good hearing, so that might be something they could use. Although, the caves would echo too much for them to accurately pinpoint their friends. The tracks were mainly Sparky's, and these were muddled a bit. Then, he recalled one time when Pikachu and Dedenne used their electricity to find each other because of Dedenne's whiskers.

"That's it!" Tidus exclaimed, then instructed, "Pikachu, send out some electricity to find Dedenne. We'll use that to find them." Pikachu nodded, recalling a time before when it communicated with Dedenne this way. So it sent out an electric signal in the hopes Dedenne would receive it. A little bit of time passed, and the two began to think the tunnel was blocking their signal. Until finally, Pikachu's ears shot up as if it received something. And with it, the electric mouse raced off into the path on the right.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Tidus called, crawling as fast as he could after his master's partner. But in his rush, Tidus bonked his head on a lower part of the ceiling, and stopped to soothe the sore he just received. When he felt ready to press on, he continued and ran straight into another fork. Only this time, he had no way of figuring out which path Pikachu or Sparky took.

"Hey! Pikachu!" he shouted, the tunnels echoing for a good while with his voice. The echoes got were so loud they hurt Tidus's ears. "Scratch yelling in these caverns." He mumbled, massaging his ears, "Now what?" He looked down at the ground, hoping Pikachu's tracks could be followed. But it was all rock now, so there was nothing to leave an imprint on. However, he did spot dark splotches on the ground going off to his left. "Could this be..?" With growing concern for his friend, Tidus decided to hedge a bet and follow the newfound trail in hopes that it might lead him to Sparky.

The apprentice crawled through the enclosed space for some time before he began to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Believing it was the way out to Sparky, he picked up the pace. But what he found instead was a small cavern full of vegetation: vines, flowers, grass, and moss covered the space, brightening from the patches of sunlight sifting through the leaves above. Tidus pulled himself to his feet once he got inside, marveling at such a beautiful find.

As he did, a grey blur suddenly tackled him and knocked him down. Tidus looked up to identify his attacker as a Poochyena, hunched down with fangs bared. He was a little startled by its attack, but was curious as to the Pokémon's aggressive behavior. The cave they were in couldn't be its den, as these Pokémon were more often found in open areas. He looked behind the pooch to see if there was something else behind it, and spotted a white Pokémon with a green head and a pair of pinkish-red discs on its cranium. The apprentice immediately identified it as a Ralts.

"What's a Ralts doing here?" Tidus pondered aloud, "Is Poochyena protecting it?" Poochyena gave a couple yips to try and scare off the human, keeping its intimidating gaze set on him. "Hey, take it easy." Tidus tried to assure, "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm just looking for a friend of mine." Poochyena continued to growl at him, unconvinced by his words. Tidus guessed he wasn't going to get anywhere with his current approach, yet he wouldn't leave that Ralts in the condition it was in. He knew his master would never leave an injured Pokémon in such a state, so he wouldn't either. Getting down on his knees, Tidus tried again at calming and befriending Poochyena. When he did, the Pokémon would yip more viciously than before to deter him. Despite that, Tidus kept making an effort at showing it he wasn't a threat. He remembered what Sora taught him about keeping calm when engaging wild Pokémon, and to avoid any sudden movements so as to not startle them.

Seeing that he wouldn't be scared off, Poochyena finally bit his hand out of agitation. Tidus cried out in pain, but grit his teeth and did his best to look Poochyena straight in the eye, another lesson of his master's. He did what he could to convey his thoughts and feelings about helping the two Pokémon, trying to convey his thoughts as best as he could. As they continued gazing at each other, a strange glow washed over the pair, confusing them both. Suddenly, Tidus felt like some part of Poochyena flooded into him, filling him with thoughts and emotions that weren't his own. When it stopped, the Poochyena released its hold on Tidus, and proceeded to licking the wound it made.

"What was that?" Tidus said in wonder, "Could Poochyena and I… have bonded?" After it had tended to Tidus's injury, Poochyena rushed over to Ralts and let out small whines. The apprentice got to his feet and hurried over to see how he could help the wounded Psychic-type. As he approached, Ralts let out a screech, and the apprentice gripped his head as he felt something like a spike press on his mind. "Aaahh!" he cried out, "Ralts! Stop! I'm not going to hurt you! I just want to help!" Poochyena seemed unaffected by Ralts' mind-blasting defense mechanism, and yipped and whined for it to stop hurting Tidus. But Ralts kept going, and even increased the intensity of the blast. Tidus fell to his knees, wailing in pain as the attack persisted. In a desperate attempt, Tidus reached out to Ralts with his hand, and the same glow that occurred before happened with this Pokémon too. When the glow faded, the air finally settled as Tidus recovered from the experience as the little psychic simmered down to soft whimpers.

His head clear, Tidus pulled up his satchel with the first-aid materials he carried with him. He looked over the small cut on its arm, and pulled out a vial filled with a green paste made from Lum berries. He tapped out a small amount on his fingertip and applied it on the cut before wrapping a bandage on the wound.

"There. How does that feel Ralts?" He asked it when he was done. Ralts moved its arm to test how it felt, and gave a happy squeak in reply. "Great! Now to find Pikachu and rescue Sparky."

That's when he heard a shrill, "PIIIIIIIII!"

"Pikachu!" Tidus gasped, realizing his master's partner was in trouble. Poochyena gave a couple curious yips at his outburst, to which he explained, "That cry was my master's Pikachu. I need to find it." Tidus turned to leave the cavern when Poochyena darted in front of him to block his way. "Wha-? Poochyena!" The little pooch gave several quick barks while keeping a firm gaze locked on the human. In that moment, Tidus seemed to understand what it was trying to say.

"You want to come help me?" he inquired. Poochyena made a quick nod, followed by Tidus feeling Ralts' tugging his pants and chirping at him. "You too Ralts?" To this, Ralts also nodded. "Okay then. Can you use your psychic antenna to find Sparky and Pikachu?" The tiny psychic hummed in concentration, attempting to ascertain the minds of those the apprentice desired to find. It soon located them, and took off with Poochyena and Tidus following through the maze.

Thanks to his new ally, Tidus made it through the tunnels to where Sparky was supposed to be. When they got there, they found the exit barred by a mess of sticky webbing that blocked the view outside.

"Ariados silk." Tidus noted, "We'll need to find some way around this. Any ideas Ralts?" Instead of Ralts answering, Poochyena went in front of them and readied itself to bite into the webbing. When it did, tongues of fire flickered around its mouth and caused the web to incinerate upon contact. "You know Fire Fang?" Tidus gasped in awe, "That's amazing!" With the way cleared, they exited onto a ledge on the other side of the island. There was a tree that stood on the tip of the ledge, clinging with large, powerful roots to avoid falling into the ocean. Up in its branches, the three noticed a large spider web that was holding three figures; two small and one larger. When Tidus got a better look at them, he saw that they were Sparky, Dedenne, and Pikachu.

"Sparky!" Tidus called out as he raced over.

"Tidus, stay back!" Sparky shouted back, becoming aware of the apprentice coming for her, "It's a trap." Fortunately for him, Poochyena tackled him down to avoid a String Shot that was fired from the shadows of the tree. Tidus thanked the Pokémon for saving him, and looked back up to find Ariados slowly descending on a single line.

Knowing he had to battle, Tidus stood and requested, "Poochyena, Ralts, will you two help me save Sparky?" Both Pokémon nodded in reply, standing ready to confront the spider Pokémon.

 _Poochyena's Fire Fang and Ralt's psychic attacks will be strong against Ariados, who's a Poison and Bug type._ He thought, strategizing his approach. _But I'll need to watch out for its poison attacks. I don't have enough Antidote from Cancer to treat Sparky and my Pokémon. Still, Poochyena might have a hard time hitting Ariados if it begins to move on that web._

With the battle underway, Ariados struck first by shooting a Poison Sting at Ralts. In response, Tidus called out, "Ralts, use Confusion!" A faint blue outline surrounded each stinger as the small psychic redirected the attack away. "Now Poochyena, Fire Fang!" Poochyena leaped high into the air, and bit down on Ariados. When it was done, the opponent shot another String Shot that Poochyena promptly dodged. "Tackle attack!" But while Poochyena charged up, Ariados surprised it with a point-blank String Shot, stopping it cold. As Poochyena struggled to break free, Ariados fired a Dark Pulse attack at the pooch Pokémon. "Redirect that with Confusion!" Channeling its psychic power, Ralts forced the Dark Pulse to go over it and Tidus, and into the cliff wall behind them rather than Poochyena. Said pooch used Fire Fang to free itself, then it jumped above Ariados. Having missed the spider on purpose, Poochyena then bit down with fangs coated in ice. "That's Ice Fang!" Tidus marveled at the unique move. Thanks to it, Ariados' line was severed, causing it to plummet to the ground with a thud.

"Alright!" Tidus cheered. But the victory was short-lived, as the spider Pokémon righted itself and rushed towards Ralts, shooting Poison Sting at it. In defense, Ralts erected a Light Screen to block the attack. Despite the extra barricade, Ariados kept up its attack to strain its prey. Enraged, Poochyena rushed into the fray once more, fangs crackling with electricity. It chomped down on Ariados with its Thunder Fang to do massive damage, as well as further impress Tidus with another unique move. Once it finished and retreated back to him, Tidus knew this battle was not going to end in their favor anytime soon. Ariados was too powerful, and both Pokémon were giving it their all to combat this foe and not even fazing it. So he commanded, "Ralts, use Confusion one more time to send Ariados flying!" Using as much of its remaining energy as it could, Ralts enveloped the spider in a blue outline and began lifting it off the ground. Before the opposing Pokémon knew what to do, it was catapulted to another part of the island, thus ending the battle.

Poochyena's Fire Fang made quick work of the webbing holding Sparky and the two electric mice Pokémon, and Ralts used its Confusion one last time to levitate them safely down. Once it finished, Tidus used a Sitrus Berry and paste from a Lum Berry to help it recover its strength and fight off any poison it might have gotten from the battle. Sparky then rushed over to the apprentice and knocked him down with a hug.

"Thank you so much Tidus!" she cried in jubilee, "You saved me!"

"Well—uh… i-it was nothing." Tidus returned, flustered by her admiration, "But Poochyena and Ralts were the real heroes."

"And they were just so cute! How'd you find them?"

"Well, I was following Pikachu trying to find you, and then—"

"Pika!" Pikachu grumbled loudly, giving an angry look with its arms crossed and tapping its foot. Getting the message, Tidus apologized to Pikachu and tried to explain how they were separated. During that, Tidus noticed Poochyena licking at a wound on Sparky's leg.

"Sparky, let me see your leg." Tidus instructed. Pulling out some medicine from his pouch on his belt, the apprentice began to assess and treat the wound. He cleaned off whatever remained of Ariados' webbing, then applied a powder from Paras mushrooms to prep the wound and cure any poison in Sparky's body, and finally wrapped a bandage around the area to ensure it would heal. Sparky tested her leg out to make sure she could still walk with it, and found she could.

"Thank you again Tidus." Sparky said with a bow.

"Denne." Denne added.

"You're welcome. You should be alright now. Looks like you got scraped when Ariados was snagging you and Dedenne."

"Yeah. Pikachu got here a little before you did, but Ariados caught him before he could do anything."

"Well, let's get back to Master Sora. He's probably worried about us." But looking back at where they came from, the two found the cave entrance had collapsed, most likely from Ariados' redirected Dark Pulse. And Ralts was too exhausted to move them now, even with the pick-me-up. "Um… now what?" Tidus wondered.

"Need some help?" came a voice from the sea. The humans and Pokémon turned to see Rina approach atop her Gyarados. Poochyena and Ralts hid behind Tidus in fright, but Pikachu assured them that this Gyarados was friendly.

"Sora was getting worried about you taking too long Tidus." Rina explained, "So he sent Swellow and Fletchinder to look for where Sparky was. Then he told me they spotted you in the middle of a battle with a powerful Ariados, and he asked me to come help."

"Well he doesn't have to worry anymore." Sparky told the mermaid maiden, "Tidus saved us from that Ariados, and he has two new Pokémon that he bonded with too."

"He did?"

Coming up next to Sparky, the apprentice suggested, "How about I tell everyone everything once we get back to the ship." To that, Rina agreed, raising an eyebrow at how close the two kids stood by each other.

* * *

"WHAT?!" an outraged Tidus screamed while the _Aura_ sailed on, "But Master!"

"You know the ancient laws as well as I do Tidus." Sora reminded, his face and tone stoic on his position, "You aren't allowed to have any Pokémon until you become a full-fledged guardian."

"But Master, I can't send Poochyena and Ralts away. I've already bonded with them."

"I'm well aware of that. We don't need to send them away. But until you complete your training, they must remain with me."

"That's not fair!" Sparky shouted angrily.

"Denne denne!"

"Sparky, this has to be done." Cancer tried to reason, "Disobeying the ancient laws can lead to great disasters."

But just as Sora began to approach the two Pokémon his apprentice had, Poochyena used Tackle to knock him back before returning to Tidus and standing hunched to strike again. Sora tried again, only to be met by the same result. This time, Pikachu and Larvitar stood before Poochyena and Ralts, ready to battle.

Before the situation could escalate, Lucario dropped down between them wih his paws out and glowing with aura.

 _I believe a compromise must be made._ He spoke, _Rather than take your apprentice's Pokémon, let him care for them as part of his training._

"Care for them?" Sora asked as he recovered, "Lucario, are you sure?"

 _He may not use them for battle himself. But should he be required to defend himself, he may command them as their Trainer. Such compromise does not violate the rites of old._ Sora thought on it, and had to agree that Lucario had a point. So he nodded, much to Tidus' relief and delight. With it settled, everyone resumed their normal routines as they sailed on to the Isolated Kingdom.

* * *

 **Drake: So, all your Pokémon are Water-types?**

 **Rina: That's right.**

 **Drake: Well, I thought I saw Kari with another Pokémon that wasn't.**

 **Rina: Strange. Where was this?**

 **Drake: Whatever it is, we'd better help her out.**

 **Next time,**

 **Passion Call**


	23. Chapter 20: Passion Call

***shrill whistle* Hey guys! Sorry about the earsplitting sound. Just making sure to do my job.**

 **Anyways, it sure has been a while since we last saw more of this. I want to apologize once more for being so tardy in my updating. I hope not to take too long like last time (and thankfully, the next chapter is getting pretty easy to write without hitting writer's block), but no promises. Especially now that I work as well as attend school. Ai curamba.**

 **Anyways, thank you so much to everyone who continues to read this story and enjoy what I put out. You guys may not know it, but you guys really help motivate me to work on these chapters pretty hard. So I want to thank you for your patience and support in all this.**

 **For those waiting on a Mermaid Melody update, that is coming soon. Just need to transcribe the new chapter, and we are golden. But for now, let's see what is happening with the crew of the _Aura_.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its content. All rights to Game Freak, Nintendo, 4kids Entertainment, etc.**

 **Ja ne**

* * *

Chapter 20:

Passion Call

 _Captain's Log Day 867_

 _Things have been rather bizarre aboard the_ Aura _with the revealing of Kari and her mermaid sisters to the crew. I can't say I blame them, as I was a little startled meeting the Stormstress myself. But it doesn't seem to bother Sora all that much. Go figure. And now he has become an Aura Guardian. With three Chieftains down, Sora seems to be more than ready to tackle the rest._

 _On another note, something has been odd about our voyage so far. We've encountered s lot of strange tribulations that seems centered on both Sora and Rina. First was Sora becoming an Aura Guardian after he was lost at sea, then Rina's strange transformation in order to save our guardian from some fatal illness we could do nothing about the traditional way. I wonder if someone is after something, and Sora is in the middle of it all. Could Tyrannia really be that threatened by the Chieftain's Challenge? If so, what will happen to Sora should he defeat all eight Chieftains?_

Drake set his quill down after finishing the last thought. He read over what he wrote while his Roselia wafted its relaxing fragrance throughout the room, and felt bothered by a few things. Some of which he already wrote down, but additional matters bugged him considerably. One thing that bothered him were the storms Kari helped them through. As a sailor, Drake could very well predict how a storm would behave and either avert them altogether or steer his ship through them. But ever since the mermaids became known, the storms refused to act normally. It's been some miracle that the ship hadn't sunk yet, but that didn't settle the uneasiness growing inside the captain.

In his musings, he heard a crash on deck, like a Pokémon using an attack to train. Drake really did not want Sora messing up his ship while preparing for the next Chieftain battle, no matter how good he was. With a growl of annoyance, he and Roselia headed up the deck to find out what was actually happening. In his pursuit of finding answers, he nearly was hit by a Pokémon using Blaze Kick. When it passed him by, Drake saw that it was a Blaziken; a tall, bird-looking Pokémon with wing-like fins going down its back, flames coming out of its wrists, and powerful legs definitely built for high jumps and powerful kicks. When it noticed the captain coming on deck, Blaziken made a big leap over to the side, and dove into the ocean via port side. Drake was so rattled from the near miss that he didhn't move until Roselia nudged him. Once he got out of his stupor, he rushed overto try and find if Blaziken was alright. To his bewilderment, he found nothing in the waters beside the ship.

"Now where could it have gone?" Drake wondered aloud.

"Rose." Roselia spoke, staring at the same place its trainer was watching in equal perplexity.

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The next morning was met with a very furious Captain Drake yelling, "SORAAAA!" Said guardian rushed to the storage room below deck along with Pikachu and Larvitar, only to find their food supply had plummeted, leaving only enough provisions for the remainder of the day. "Care to explain this." Drake inquired with a slight edge in his voice.

As Prince Pewter arrived on scene, Sora answered, "I've been asleep the whole night after meditating with Lucario."

"Right. And my other ship's a Rhydon."

"Honest! None of my Pokémon were out at all."

"Pikachu." Pikachu chimed in, defending his partner's stance.

"Even Larvitar?" Drake accused in a slow, threatening tone as he looked down at the rock child Pokémon.

"Hey, Larvitar may be young but he's not a glutton!" Sora retorted back as he hid Larvitar behind his leg.

Coming upon the squabblers, Prince Pewter addressed in a stern voice, "Alright, break it up! This is no time to be acting like berserk Mankey." Both boys stopped, but Drake gave a subtle leer to the side at Sora. "Better. Now what seems to be the problem?"

"Your Highness," Drake explained, "our food stock has taken a drastic decline. I presume our stores were raided at some point during the night."

"But who could eat that much in such a short amount of time?" the prince mused, scratching his chin.

"It wasn't my Snorlax!" Sora jumped to his own defense, "The ship wouldn't be able to hold him."

"Relax Sora. For now, let's find a port to barter or scavenge for our food stores." Prince Pewter suggested, "Drake, there's a port town close by where we are, isn't there?"

"If we're where we think we are, there should be one to the northwest. Kenneth and I will alter course." As Drake began making his way up to the deck, he added, "And Sora, I'm keeping my eye on you." Sora groaned at the veiled threat as Pikachu and Larvitar attempted to comfort him.

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"All ashore that's going ashore!" Kenneth shouted as they dropped anchor at the dock alongside other galleons. With the gangplank down, everyone disembarked and looked about the bustle before them as sailors and traders were striking deals or conning those with little wit into one-sided bargains. One such man advertising a Magikarp he was selling that promised to be a goldmine. Prince Pewter and Opal set out for the market to acquire provisions, while the rest started to disperse and conduct their own business. Drake remained by the ship, still fuming at how their food stores could have been raided without his knowing. He still believed Sora was responsible for the loss, even if he denied it so strongly. He just needed to find some evidence that the guardian was responsible, or whoever the culprit was. Figuring he wouldn't go into town, Drake headed back on deck to await his friend's return.

As he went up to the helm, he heard Rina's voice call out, "Sora? Are you up there?" The captain went over to the side away from the docks, and spotted both Rina and Sarah in the waters. "Drake, where's Sora?" Rina asked once he appeared.

"He's with the others on shore." Drake informed, "I don't think you'll be getting his attention anytime soon."

"Bummer." Sarah said with a quick flick of her tail, "Well can you go get him? It's kinda urgent."

"Sure. What's wrong?" Drake wondered.

"It's Kari. She vanished from our room before we came here, and we don't know where she went." Rina explained.

"What about your pearls?" Drake asked, recalling what his Stormstress told him before, "Can they tell you anything?"

Both mermaids shook their heads, with Sarah reminding, "they only tell us if we're alright or not. We can't tell where she is."

"And she's not in the ocean?"

"Drake!" the two scolded.

"Easy!" Drake ushered, looking back in case someone heard them. When he was sure no one had heard, he turned back and told them, "I'll try to let Sora know. If I can't, I'll find her myself. She's probably outside of town at one of the beaches or something."

"We'll check the beaches." Sarah suggested, "You guys look inland." With that settled, the three parted ways to find Kari.

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

After letting Sora know the situation, he and Drake departed from the rest of the group to begin looking for Kari. It took a little while to actually get into the wilder parts of the island, but they eventually left the port town behind and split up to look for the Stormstress. Sora didn't seem to think much of it, but for Kari to disappear rather suddenly before they made landfall seemed suspicious to Drake. He still needed to find whoever scarfed down their whole batch of provisions in a single night. His suspicions still labelled Sora as the guilty party, but it could have just as likely been someone else on the crew. Furthermore, what would make Kari just vanish with no warning? It wasn't like before when the three mermaids were kept secret from the others. Why would she just rush off without even letting her sisters know?

Sometime into his search, Drake thought he heard Kari nearby when he caught the sound of her voice. So he made himself deathly still to try and hear her again. Rather than a voice, the captain picked up the sound of splashing that sounded distinctly like a tail smacking the water. So he moved quickly but as quietly as he could in the direction the sound came from.

As he drew near, he heard someone say, "Someone's coming! Return." After that, he found Kari resting in a pool hidden by shrubbery that ringed the perimeter. Drake took a quick look to find who Kari was talking to earlier before settling his eyes on the only other person here.

"Drake!" Kari spoke up, surprised by his appearance, "What a nice surprise."

"What are you doing here Kari?" Drake asked, "rina and Sarah were worried about you."

"They were?" she replied innocently.

"Why'd you come out here before we made landfall anyway?"

"Oh! Well, uh…" Now this started to make Drake wary. Why would Kari act like she was trying to hide a secret? What else was there for her to hide besides being a mermaid, and being able to predict storms? Drake even began to wonder if Rina and Sarah may have been hiding additional secrets as well.

Before it could go any further, a wild Fearow flew in overhead, surprising the two. It spotted the pair below it, and nose-dived for Drake.

The captain leaped out of the way, pulled out his Pokéstone, and called out, "Absol, I need you!" And out came Drew's Absol, one different from the Absol back in Aurora. The Fearow registered the new face, and hovered before it, ready for a battle. "Absol, Psycho Cut!" It's horn glowing purple with psychic energy, Absol swung its head to release a blade of energy. Fearow flew out of the way, and began to glow with a white light as it dove down.

"That's a Sky Attack! Absol, dodge and use Night Slash!" The Disaster Pokémon jumped over the attack, and managed to land its own as it sailed over the giant bird. This just enraged Fearow, and it turned around and charged with its beak spinning like a drill. Drake called for his Pokémon to dodge, which Absol did. But Fearow kept going, heading straight for Kari as it saw she wasn't in the fight. Drake raced towards her as he called for her to get out of the way, despite knowing he would not make it in time nor that Absol would be unable to deter the attack before it was too late. It seemed like time slowed around Drake, as he watched the attack slowly approach the mermaid, inch by agonizing inch.

But then, in a moment of desperation, Kari cried out, "Blaziken, help me, please!" And from her pearl appeared a Blaziken, who knocked Fearow into the air with a Sky Uppercut. Its appearance stopped Drake dead in his tracks. That Blaziken was the same one that disappeared the other night, and it came from Kari's pearl. After its appearance, the fighter Pokémon blasted Fearow with a Fire Spin, which forced the giant vulture to skedaddle.

With it gone, Blaziken regarded Drake with a fierce gaze, causing the captain to take a step back. Absol stood before him, gauging this newcomer to see if it was a threat. Blaziken soon broke its gaze, bent down to pick up Kari bridal-style, then bounded away.

Once Drake snapped out of his stupor, he muttered, "I have to tell the others. We need to find them." After thanking Absol and returning it, Drake set out for where he would meet Sora before they would head back to town.

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

After relaying his story to the crew, Drake received skeptical looks from everyone except Sora and Sparky. The first to voice their doubts, much to everyone's surprise, were the mermaids.

"You sure that Fearow didn't hit you in the head or something?" Sarah questioned.

"An honest sailor never stretches a story in the slightest." Drake claimed proudly.

"That's debatable." Tidus spoke.

"Drake, Kari has a Squirtle." Rina calmly expressed, "That's her only Pokémon. Mermaids are unable to bond with ones not from the sea."

"Then explain to me how Kari has a Blaziken that just whisked her away. I know what I saw."

"But a mermaid having a non-Water Pokémon, and a Fire type no less?" Sketch spoke up, "It sounds bizarre."

"I'm telling you guys it's the truth!"

"Drake, settle down." Prince Pewter softly commanded, "You've been under a lot of stress and need to rest."

"What I need to do is find Kari." Drake told him firmly, "We are not leaving this island until we do."

"Now you're just being childish." Violet huffed.

"No. Drake's right." Sora informed everyone, "We need to find her."

"Rina and Sarah can find her in the sea." Teller argued, "There's no way Drake's story is correct."

"I know it is." Now the guardian had everyone's attention. So he continued, "I know Drake. He is an honest sailor, and cares about everyone on his crew. He wouldn't fib about Kari."

"Pika Pi, Chu Pi." Pikachu agreed. Drake smiled at Sora, grateful for his support.

"It may be a Wailord of a tale, but it ain't the captain's style to lie." Kenneth added, "If he says it's true, I reckon it's as true as can be."

 _I believe this story bears fruit._ Lucario came in, _The captain's aura burns strong with conviction. There is no deceit in his words._

With a heavy sigh, Prince Pewter replied, "Very well. We'll split up and search for Kari in small groups. Use every means possible to scour this entire island." Though most still didn't buy it, everyone agreed to the search. Splitting up into small groups, the crew set off for the wildlands in search of the Stormstress.

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Drake raced through the grove on the far eastern part of the island on his Arcanine, Sora and Yolanda following overhead on Staraptor. Their group had gone for the center of the island, where the trees became dense and hard to maneuver through. So far, no one had any luck finding Kari or her Blaziken, and the sun was beginning its descent in the sky. Drake still needed to replenish their food storage, and trading in town proved difficult even for the prince. Still, his biggest concern was Kari and why she disappeared like she did. Stopping after a certain distance, Drake and Arcanine waited as Staraptor and its two passengers descended.

"Seen anything?" Drake asked.

Sora just shook his head and replied, "I can't seem to find her aura anywhere. There are too many other ones from the trees and Pokémon here to single hers out."

"No Blaziken then?"

"Nothing. But we still have to find her."

"Why would Kari hide the fact she bonded with a Blaziken from us?" Yolanda brought up.

"Didn't we already discuss this on my ship princess?"

"Just hear me out Drake." Dismounting Staraptor, Yolanda continued by asking, "Why is it so hard for a mermaid to bond with a non-Water Pokémon? If how we bond with the Pokémon is the same for mermaids, shouldn't they be able to bond with other types like us?"

"Maybe." Sora mulled on the thought, "The only real limitation is that they're mostly in the sea."

"Yes." Yolanda addressed, "So why don't her sisters believe she has bonded to a Blaziken?"

"This coming from someone who thinks one such mermaid is bewitching his betrothed." Drake commented, earning him a glare from the princess. "But you're not wrong. Their pearls act the same as our Pokéstones do. Beyond who they are, they aren't all that different from us."

"But then why don't Rina and Sarah believe Kari has a Blaziken?" Sora repeated the previous question.

"Sora, they're the only mermaids known in the world. Probably the only ones at all." Drake informed, "They probably just believe certain things because they didn't know all that much, even about humans."

"Just like we do about them?" Sora inquired.

"In a sense. But for now, let's just keep looking for her. It's going to get dark soon." With that settled, Sora and Yolanda took to the sky on Staraptor once more.

Before Drake and Arcanine took off, however, the captain thought he heard the same sound from earlier: a tail splashing water. He opted to investigate, prompting his Pokémon in the direction he thought the sound came from. They ventured a bit further in, going deeper and deeper into the underbrush to find if what Drake heard was what he thought it was.

Before long, they soon arrived at a lush hidden grotto, the trees covered in numerous fruits and Berries, and a lake filled with water that was so clear you could see the bottom on the other side. And even when the water rippled, the view did not blur all that much and was still very visible. Yet Drake wasn't ogling this natural treasure, rather he was looking at the Stormstress herself, her back to him as she watched her Squirtle play around her.

In his gazing, Arcanine threw him off and shielded him from a Fire Spin, its ability Flash Fire absorbing the attack to prevent any harm done to the area. Both human and mermaid looked to find Blaziken in a battle stance, its gaze fixed on Drake with a clear intent to battle. The captain stared back past Arcanine, rising to his feet and not backing down in the slightest.

That is until Kari called out, "Blaziken, let him be." Though still leery, Blaziken relaxed its battle stance at her command. And as Arcanine relaxed as well, Drake walked over and sat on the edge of the lake next to his Stormstress.

"Why'd you run off like that Kari?" he asked her, "You had us all worried." Kari didn't reply, seeming content to watch Squirtle play in the water. So Drake continued, "If you're worried about the others, don't be. We won't think of you any differently than we already do."

"Even my sisters?" Kari questioned. After she mentioned that, the captain realized what was really bothering her. She probably thought she looked like a freak to Rina and Sarah since she had a Pokémon that wasn't a Water-type, even more with it being a Fire-type. It was probably eating away at her that this came out the way it did, especially since he did let it be known she had Blaziken anyway.

So he told her, "I'm sorry Kari. I wasn't aware you were trying to keep this a secret from your sisters."

"I know you didn't." Kari replied, "But even so, I must look like such a disgrace to them. Why wouldn't they see me as any less than a sister?"

"You do remember you three may be the only mermaids alive. I do not believe those two would view you any less for having Blaziken. If anything, this could be a big chance for them."

"How?"

"Well, Rina has been growing closer to Sora." Drake elaborated, "Maybe she'll want a Pokémon that could bring her closer to him. Same with Sarah and Kenneth. Aside from that, they're your sisters. You're about all they have for family." In a way, that was how Drake viewed his crew. They were all a family who helped keep each other safe and happy. Even if some of them were a little different in one way or another, they looked out for each other. Even if they didn't know how Kari and her sisters interacted, he felt they were very much the same.

Before the conversation could continue, the sound of branches snapping drew their gazes towards a section of the woods. Both Blaziken and Arcanine got into defensive stances when they sensed the approach of the mysterious presence. In time, a strange Pokémon appeared from the woods: it looked like a tree with six roots acting like feet, the trunk split in three with a strange shadow holding up the pieces, giant hands at the end of its segmented arms with leaves on its wrists, and its head had a single eye in the center of its face with two long horns on the side and a shorter one in front with a bush of leaves on the top of its head.

"No way! Is that a Trevenant?!" Drake exclaimed, rising to his feet immediately, "what is it doing here?"

Scared and bewildered, Kari asked, "Drake, what is that?"

So he answered, "A Trevenant. A Pokémon said to defend forests. Sora had to help calm one down back in Aurora. Apparently, an apprentice lumberjack enraged one when he didn't ask it for wood for the kingdom. But why is this one so angry?" Out of nowhere, some trees began to glow with a dark aura and sent branches out towards Kari. The Stormstress tried to fight it, but the trees were too strong and yanked her out of the lake and towards Trevenant. Squirtle cried out for its trainer, while Blaziken darted in and tried to use Sky Uppercut to safely rescue her. But the attack phased through the branches, surprising the Fighting Pokémon. Then, more branches stretched out from the surrounding trees and bound it in the air, effectively capturing it.

"Blaziken!" Kari cried out. At that point, Trevenant brought her to face it, and its single eye began to glow.

"Oh no you don't!" Drake roared out, "Arcanine, use Flame Wheel!" The giant hound bounded towards the phantom tree, barreling through its attempts to stop it while enveloped in fire. It tackled Trevenant hard, yet the Pokémon's grip on Kari remained despite the devastating attack. And once its flames died down, Arcanine itself was pinned by more vegetation. Before Drake could summon another Pokémon, some branches snatched him by the wrists and pinned him against another tree. He struggled to escape, but its grip was like iron. Squirtle saw all that occurred, and was too terrified to move in to rescue either the captain or the Stormstress. Then Trevenant began returning its gaze to its helpless victim. Unaware of what was happening, Kari stared into the light, and began to lose consciousness as the branches began to start covering her, almost becoming a cocoon of wood.

That is until,

"Fennekin, use Flamethrower!"

"Pignite, Flamethrower as well!" Two streams of fire hit the phantom tree's hands, which forced it to let go of Kari. Then, a grey streak zoomed in and caught her while a Fennekin and a rotund, orange-and-black pig Pokémon descended, facing their opponent with fierce gazes. Staraptor soon landed by Drake, and Sora and Yolanda dismounted off its back. Setting the mermaid on Staraptor, Sora used his Aura Sword to cut the branches holding Drake up, who then went over to check on Kari.

"Drake, what happened?" Sora asked urgently, "I saw the forest's aura being manipulated here."

"I wish I knew." The captain answered, "This Trevenant just attacked us out of nowhere, and it seems to not like Kari." Not much more could be said as the two newcomers were set upon by more tree branches. Sora retaliated with his sword by cutting them down before they could reach the group. Despite this, the sheer amount coming at them was overwhelming, and sora had to put all his focus on holding them back.

So while he held them back, Yolanda called out, "Fennekin, Hidden Power!" The fire fox unleashed three orbs of energy that exploded near Trevenant's face. When it cleared, Trevenant let out a terrifying yell and shot two Shadow Balls at the fox, blasting it back. Fennekin managed to recover, but was quickly surrounded by roots that came out of the ground in an attempt to pin it down. These were incinerated when Pignite used Flame Pledge and summoned columns of fire right underneath them all. Then Yolanda directed, "Fennekin, use Flamethrower!" The fox Pokémon blasted a stream of fire at Trevenant, who erected roots from underneath itself to block the attack, shocking everyone.

Just then, they heard Larvitar cry out behind them, and the captain and princess turned to see Sora and his Pokémon bound by tree branches much like Drake was prior, the guardian's staff lying beneath him in the grass. More vines came for Yolanda, Drake, and Kari, but Fennekin blasted them away with Flamethrower. For a while it was able to keep the possessed plants at bay, but fatigue soon set in and its flames weakened. This gave the plant-life the chance to pin Fennekin down while at the same time ensnaring Yolanda, as well as knocking back Drake and reclaiming the unconscious Kari.

Trevenant brought the two up to its face once more, while the boys and Pokémon were otherwise occupied. Sora tried to say something, but the branches holding him quickly muzzled his voice. Yolanda fought hard to break free, but the branches were too strong for her to overcome. Once both were facing it, and with Kari just recovering, its eye glowed once more using Confuse Ray. Yolanda shut her eyes and looked away, already aware of what would happen if her gaze met the tree sentinel's. Kari, on the other hand, had her eyes glaze over as the attack did its job and rendered her dazed and under its mercy. Then it used more branches to latch onto the princess's face, wrestling her to face it.

"Let go!" she cried out, "We're not trying to hurt your forest. You have to believe us." But the tree sentinel did not heed her words, and used more branches to try and pry open her eyes. Fennekin watched its trainer struggling to avert the Confuse Ray, and was struggling to break free. Yolanda grit with all her might, fighting to keep her eyes shut. Yet she could feel it becoming a losing battle, as her eyelids were slowly being opened.

Sora called out to her, though his voice was still muffled, as did his Pokémon. Drake just stared at Kari, a sudden fear paralyzing him as it did Squirtle as he watched her being hypnotized. Arcanine and Blaziken continued to struggle against their bindings to no avail. And in desperation, Fennekin cried out one more time before its body became enveloped in a blinding light. The occurrence gave Trevenant pause as it stopped what it was doing, thereby halting the Confuse Ray. Everyone except the girls watched in awe as the fire fox began to evolve.

The roots pinning Fennekin down retreated as its body grew. It stood up on its hind legs as they elongated; its fur fanned out at the hip to resemble something like a skirt; its fur near its neck fanned out to make a collar. A piece of one of the roots broke off from the rest, and the new Pokémon snatched it up as the glow dispersed in a blast of sparkles. Standing now was a bipedal fox with bright-yellow fur on its body, with its legs having black fur; its tail was larger and of the same coloration as its body; and inside its ears were red tufts of fur.

As a fire ignited on the branch it snatched up, the new Pokémon twirled it around and scattered fire around it, burning the roots and branches holding the boys and their Pokémon as well as harming Trevenant.

Once freed, Sora gazed at the evolved Pokémon and exclaimed, "Alright! Fennekin evolved into Braixen!" Braixen rushed over to Trevenant, and shot out a Flamethrower at the phantom tree. The attack hit it with full force, and it caused it to drop both Kari and Yolanda.

Unbound and elated, the princess hugged her new Pokémon and squealed, "Braixen, you saved me! Thank you."

"Braixen Brai." Her partner returned, hugging back after putting its twig in its tail.

Drake hurried over to his Stormstress, cradling her in his arms. He called out her name in the hope that she would answer. Yet she did not stir, her body limp and her face peaceful as if in a deep sleep.

"Don't you dare." He muttered after so long with no response. "Don't you dare die on me."

Just when he began to fear the worst, Sora came over and told him, "She's alive Drake." As the captain looked up at him, the guardian continued, "Her aura is still burning strong. Trevenant only weakened her with its Confuse Ray."

"Pika Pika." The lightning mouse assured, smiling up at the boys. Relief quickly set in, and the captain thanked his friend. But the battle was far from over.

Trevenant was still pressing the attack, but Braixen was holding it at bay using its new fire techniques. That was when Drake noticed something: the phantom tree had never moved from its spot since the start of the battle. It even seemed to be hurt each time the vixen's Flamethrower touched the roots attacking it.

Realizing the reason why, Drake called out, "The roots! Trevenant's using Ingrain to control the forest while also healing itself. We don't need to attack Trevenant…"

"We can just hold it at bay by hitting its extensions." Sora finished the thought. With that in mind, the guardian commanded, "Pignite, use Flame Pledge on the roots!" Without a second thought, the fire pig pounded its fist into the ground and shot pillars of fire at a series of roots. The fire forced more of them to retreat, and seemed to make Trevenant grimace.

Catching on to the notion, Yolanda called out, "Braixen, use Flamethrower on the roots!" Twirling its twig briefly before directing its attack, Braixen cast streams of fire that pushed back more extensions and seemed to cause Trevenant further harm. Blaziken soon joined in, using Blaze Kick and Fire Spin with fervor. The fire attacks soon began to grow out of control, and lit up several trees surrounding the group. Wild Pokémon fled from the carnage in fear.

Seeing the damage being done, Sora immediately summoned, "Squirtle, Totodile, Corphish, Oshawott, Palpitoad, Froakie, douse the fire!" All six Pokémon appeared from Sora's staff and immediately started using Water Gun, Hydro Pump, Bubblebeam, and Water Pulse to quell the blaze that was starting. Squirtle took charge in instructing the others where to concentrate their water. As they did, Blaziken, Braixen, Pignite, and Arcanine continued to fight against Trevenant and protect their trainers.

Before long, the phantom tree was exhausted from all the battling and was hunched over. The other Pokémon were also rather exhausted, yet they were determined to fight to the end.

Pointing its twig at its opponent, Braixen yipped, "Braixen Brai. Brai Braixen."Trevenant let out a low growl, seeming to not want to back down.

"Blaziken." Kari's Pokémon grunted at the challenge. Having its answer, it rushed at Trevenant and prepared a final Blaze Kick. At the moment of impact, a Water Gun came out from behind it and stopped the attack dead in its tracks. Everyone looked to see Kari's Squirtle was the source, a fierce look in its eyes. Behind it were some injured Pokémon from the woods, and around them was damage done by the fire. That's when Drake caught on to what the issue was.

"I get it now." He spoke out in realization. "Trevenant was helping protect those Pokémon while they were healing. When Blaziken attacked me, it probably thought we were going to battle and harm the forest. And since Kari is Blaziken's Trainer…"

"It went after her." Sora concluded, picking up on what Drake was explaining.

"And then it went after us because we fought to get Kari back." Yolanda finished, "That's why it got so violent. But that doesn't excuse what you did to Kari."

"Take it easy." Drake said to assuage the fuming princess. Carrying his Stormstress, the captain went up to Trevenant and told it, "We apologize for disturbing your home and for nearly hurting those under your protection. We mean no ill-will towards you, and will depart at once." Trevenant stared into his eyes, gauging his honesty and intent very strictly. For a time, everyone waited in anticipation for what the protector's verdict would about a minute, Trevenant turned and went to the injured Pokémon. Once it picked them up, it departed into the woods and vanished.

Letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, Drake looked down at Kari and said aloud, "Now for this matter."

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Kari. Kari! Please wake up Kari!" A familiar voice prompted as Kari began to open her eyes. When her vision cleared, she saw that she was on the deck of the _Aura_ , and Rina and Sarah were hovering over her. Both sisters had worried expressions that quickly melted away once they saw she was waking.

"Thank goodness you're awake." Rina told her as she helped her sister sit upright. "After we heard what happened, we were worried something horrible happened to you." Kari held her head in her hand as she recovered, and then she thought about Blaziken. She looked around very quickly before finding it resting against the mast not too far away from them.

"That Blaziken sure is devoted." Sarah commented. "It hasn't left your side since you got here."

"Face downcast, Kari muttered, "Don't you hate me?" Both mermaids became perplexed at this question, so she continued, "I have a Pokémon that isn't a Water type. I…I betrayed you both! So go ahead, hate me. But please, don't hurt Blaziken. I'm the one at fault." Tears streamed down Kari's face as she awaited her punishment. She had no doubt Rina, the eldest of them, would do something to show that she could no longer be considered a mermaid, let alone her sister. Yet, what she received instead was a tender embrace from said sister. The action took Kari by surprise, and left her frozen from the shock.

"I care greatly for a human who goes beyond expectation to make me accepted." She confessed. "Why would I do otherwise to my sister?"

Aghast, Kari stuttered out, "B-But… I…"

"You're our sister Kari." Sarah told her. "Even if you had a Groudon for a partner, we could never think of you as anything else." Before Kari could say anything to this, Sarah joined in the embrace, grasping her sister tightly. Before long, Kari returned the gesture as her fears drifted away.

"Thank you, Sarah, Rina." She whispered to them, "I am the luckiest mermaid to have you for family."

Watching from the helm, Drake smiled at the sight of the three sisters together. They sure were lucky to have each other, something for which he was grateful for. Now Kari knew she had nothing to fear when it came to her family.

Sora and Kenneth soon approached him after fulfilling their duties, and the former commented, "They really care about each other."

"Yep" Kenneth added, "Not to mention that grove Kari discovered helped restore our food stores."

"Yeah." Drake uttered. Then he brought up, "That reminds me; we still haven't found the culprit who caused our food to disappear like that." He shot a glare at Sora, who decided to ignore it.

That is until they heard Kari mention, "Oh yeah! I also have this Pokémon too." The boys looked over to see her release a plump, dark-green Pokémon with a mouth that split the bottom half of its face.

"Munchlax!" it cried out upon release.

"What is that?" Rina inquired.

"That's a Munchlax." Sora told them. "They're really rare Pokémon, and they evolve into Snorlax." Before he could elaborate, Munchlax immediately darted below deck, with Sora, Pikachu, and Larvitar chasing it after panicking over its reason for doing so.

"Wait, could it be-?" Drake pondered briefly. He quickly realized the implication, and ordered Kenneth to take over while he went after it, leaving the mermaids puzzled at their behavior.

* * *

Sora: **Ghost Pokémon sure are tough.**

Rina: **I can imagine. I wonder if it is even possible to defeat one in battle.**

Sora: **Well, those two phantom hunters seem able.**

Rina: **Maybe not with that ghost. Look out!**

Mext time,

A Phantom's Grudge

Sora: **I won't lose anyone! I will defeat you ghost!**


End file.
